Nintendo is going all out on IP! They are planning to create a movie version of "The Legend of Zelda".
There may be sequels to "Super Mario Bros. The Movie", as well as adaptations of the IPs "Donkey Kong", "The Legend of Zelda", and "Luigi".
This year, the huge success of the movie "Super Mario Bros." has given Nintendo a taste of the benefits of adapting its IP.
On November 8th, Nintendo announced its plan to bring its popular IP "The Legend of Zelda" to the big screen. Sony and Nintendo will each contribute 50% of the funding, with Sony taking charge of global distribution. The film will be co-produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions, a company owned by Ari Arad, a producer at Marvel Studios. It will be directed by Wes Ball, known for the "Maze Runner" series, with Nintendo's director Shigeru Miyamoto and Ari Arad serving as producers. Fans can look forward to seeing Link save the princess in theaters soon.
In April of this year, the movie adaptation of Nintendo's well-known game IP, the Mario series, achieved both box office success and critical acclaim. The film was developed in collaboration with Illumination Entertainment and earned a global box office revenue of $1.36 billion. Before being surpassed by "Barbie" starring Margot Robbie, "Super Mario Bros." was the highest-grossing film of the year.
The success of the Mario movie has also inspired Nintendo's ambition to adapt more of its IP into films.
Zippo, a well-known Nintendo insider, previously revealed that Nintendo is preparing four movies: a sequel to "Super Mario Bros.", "Donkey Kong", "The Legend of Zelda", and a spin-off film featuring "Luigi".
The "Legend of Zelda" film will not be a direct adaptation, but rather a fusion of various past works such as "Ocarina of Time", "Wind Waker", and "Twilight Princess". Additionally, the protagonist, Link, will have dialogue in the film, unlike in the original games where he is silent.
This Tuesday, Nintendo released its earnings report for the first half of the fiscal year. The report shows that Nintendo's sales for the first half of this fiscal year reached 796.2 billion yen (approximately 38.695 billion RMB), a YoY increase of 21.2%. Operating profit was 279.9 billion yen (approximately 13.603 billion RMB), a YoY increase of 27.0%. The company also raised its annual profit forecast, but due to uncertainties in game expenses and fluctuations in the yen, the forecast fell short of analysts' expectations.
