Nintendo Direct announced for January 2026, all about Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Nintendo promises a new look at Mario, Peach, and Luigi's next animated adventure

Nintendo has a new Nintendo Direct coming this Sunday, Jan. 25, but this one won't be about upcoming Switch 2 games. Nintendo will instead dedicate another Direct showcase to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the imminent sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, promising "an exclusive look" at the animated adventure from Illumination.

To set expectations that Super Mario Galaxy 3 could possibly show up at Sunday's Direct, Nintendo cut that speculation off at the source, writing on its social media accounts, "Please note that no game information will be included in this presentation."

The next Nintendo Direct airs Sunday, Jan. 25, at 9 a.m. EST/6 a.m. PST, and will be streamed on Nintendo's YouTube channel.

Nintendo and Illumination announced The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in September 2025, showing a snippet of footage from the 2026 animated feature. The film will be released in movie theaters on April 3, and will see actors Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek) reprise their respective roles. New to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie cast are Brie Larson as Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser, Jr., respectively.

Expectations are high for Mario's next movie; The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a smash hit in 2023, earning $1.36 billion at the box office, making it the most successful video game adaptation ever, and the sixth-highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Nintendo and Illumination's new Mario movie will arrive on the heels of the original Super Mario Bros. game's 40th anniversary. Beyond his new movie, 2026 will be a big year for Mario and friends; Nintendo has a trio of new releases already confirmed for this year, including Mario Tennis Fever in February, a Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder in March, and a new Yoshi platformer, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, whenever Yoshi decides that it's time.