Laura Carollo
Research expert covering cinema and film
Video game adaptations - statistics & facts
In 1993, the first live action adaptation of “Super Mario Bros.” was released in theaters – a movie so widely panned that it prompted Nintendo to stop licensing adaptations of their games. Exactly 30 years later, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is the highest-grossing video adaptation of all time. While adaptations were sometimes dismissed as cash grabs in the past, general opinion has dramatically shifted over that period. Not only are these productions highly popular, even among non-gamers, but they are also considered awards worthy. What happened?
String of successes on the big and small screens
Live action or animation, cinema or TV screen – every format is currently experiencing the halo effect brought by adapting video games. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was 2023’s second most successful movie of the year behind “Barbie”, while the theatrical adaptation of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” delighted video game and horror aficionados, becoming the most successful horror movie of the year. On television, the TV show “The Last of Us”, received high praise by audience and critics alike, and even managed to snag eight Emmy Awards in 2024.A trend driven by Gen Z
According to a recent survey, half of Gen Z adults in the U.S. reported being very interested in watching video game movie adaptations. Out of all age brackets, Gen Z respondents were predominantly more likely to rate these Hollywood adaptations favorably. Younger consumers growing up with adaptations generally considered of higher quality may partially explain that trend, as well as gaming gradually gaining traction as a hobby and art form. Gone are the days when gaming was not a leading creative and lucrative medium – the number of gamers has been steadily increasing and is expected to hit almost 230 million users in the United States in 2029.Coming full circle
While brand recognition plays a considerable role in these adaptations’ achievements, their mainstream appeal introduces new stories and characters to a broader (and sometimes non-gaming) audience. Released in April 2024 on Prime, the “Fallout” series managed to breathe new life into a relatively old gaming franchise and to rekindle interest in the post-apocalyptic franchise for new and older fans. “Fallout 4” reached its highest monthly number of peak concurrent players on Steam in April 2024 since the game’s release almost a decade earlier, while Twitch viewership blew up considerably over that same month.Hollywood’s next best thing
Hollywood is currently facing dwindling box office revenues, a problem video game adaptations may remedy – for now. As superhero fatigue is growing among viewers, studios have started to shift their attention to video games and to acquire movie rights in the hope of striking box office gold. As a matter of fact, Sony recently announced a live-action movie based on “The Legend of Zelda”, cementing Nintendo’s renewed faith in adaptations.
