Nintendo, which I’ve been a fan of since the NES days, has quite recently transitioned into spinning its game into movies. (It technically started with the first Super Mario Bros. movie from the ‘90s, which I embrace, even if Nintendo tries not to). The first animated Super Mario Bros. movie in 2023 made over a billion dollars, and its sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is hitting its own box office milestones. So, after the impending live-action Legend of Zelda movie, a popular theory suggests the NEXT Nintendo movie after Zelda is Donkey Kong.
Yeah, that makes sense in terms of the gaming company's most popular franchises. But, is it a good idea? I don’t think so, and here’s why.
Donkey Kong's Characters And Lore Just Aren't That Interesting To Me
Okay, so don't hate me, but I just don't find Donkey Kong interesting as a character outside of him messing around with Mario. Take the Donkey Kong Country titles, for instance. We get all of these characters added to the Donkey Kong lore like Cranky Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Funky Kong, but are they really all that interesting? I mean, the whole plot of the DKC games is mostly for DK to just get his bananas back, and the side characters are just kind of...there.
Sure, they COULD be expanded upon in a movie, but we already got Cranky Kong in the first Mario flick (voiced by Fred Armisen) and his whole thing was that he was kind of just disappointed with his son. And that's it.
Also, while I know there could be genuine conflict with DK's main antagonist, King K. Rool, even he's pretty boring. Honestly, I just don't think I could sit through a 90 minute movie of Donkey Kong on the hunt for bananas, and even if that wasn't the story, then they'd really have to create a whole new version of DK since his main role in the Mario movie was just to find him annoying. That said, I don't think I'm the only one who's not in love with Donkey Kong...
Ho Hum Sales For Donkey Kong Bananza Show That People LIKE Donkey Kong, But He’s Not As Popular As Some May Think
Look, I'm not saying I don't like the Donkey Kong video games. I do! In fact I even used to watch the abysmal Nintendo cartoon series, Donkey Kong Country, just because I loved the game that it's based off of. So you KNOW I had to pick up Donkey Kong Bananza when I bought a brand new Switch 2.
However, even though I love Donkey Kong Bananza, it didn’t do as well as it probably could have, as it’s sold 4.5 million copies (as of this writing) since its release last July. Now, 4.5 million copies isn’t anything to sneeze at. But, when you put it into perspective, it might not be as great as it sounds. For instance, there have currently been almost 20 million Switch 2’s sold since its launch, which means that a substantial part of Nintendo’s audience decided not to go on an adventure with DK and Pauline since the game first released.
What's my point? Well, I guess it's that Donkey Kong might not be as popular as people like to think he is. For example, let's compare DKB's first year sales with that of Mario's. Super Mario Odyssey sold over 12 million copies in its first year on the original Switch. And what about Link? Well, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold over 8 million copies in its first year). So I think DKB’s “modest” sales show that DK isn’t nearly as popular as people may think, so a DK movie might not be the best option for Nintendo. However, I have an alternate pick.
Star Fox Should Be The Next Movie After The Legend Of Zelda
Aside from A Luigi's Mansion movie, I definitely think Fox McCloud and his team of flyboys should be the next Nintendo movie.
I mean, one of the most popular parts of the recent Super Mario Galaxy Movie was the Fox McCloud parts, and while I don't think Donkey Kong's cast is all that interesting, I DO think Peppy, Slippy, and Falco are SUPER interesting characters who deserve their own time to shine.
So, while Donkey Kong seems like its next after Zelda, I think Star Fox deserves its time to soar. Because even if the sales have never been through the roof for the property, the characters themselves would probably be the most fitting for a movie. So, there it is. Give me Star Fox!
