Nintendo to take game characters to big screen

Nintendo is hoping Mario and its other top gaming characters can jump on to the big screen on top of earlier ventures into smartphone apps and Universal Studios theme parks.

The Japanese video games company yesterday revealed plans to make films that draw on an intellectual-property treasure chest that includes Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda among others.

The foray into the film business comes as Nintendo looks to capture new revenue opportunities outside of handheld devices and home consoles.

Nintendo said it was in talks with several partners worldwide.

By taking a stake, the Kyoto-based games company said, it hoped to participate in producing the films instead of simply licensing its characters to outside studios. The company had not decided who would feature in its first film, but said it would be one of its best-known characters.

Nintendo is not new to the film business. It has released movies using its Pokemon franchise and actor Bob Hoskins starred as Mario in a live-action film in 1993 called Super Mario Bros, although that turned out to be a box-office flop.

The company's push into films was first reported by Asahi newspaper.

"Our initial aim is to increase the number of people who are exposed to our intellectual property," Tatsumi Kimishima, Nintendo's president, said in an interview with Asahi.

“But we don’t want this to be simply an advertising fee, so we hope (films) will become a sizeable business,” Mr Kimishima said, indicating the first film, probably an animated movie, could come out within five years.

– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016