Nintendo’s profit jumps as Super Mario franchise gets a boost from hit film

By YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo is reporting a 52% increase in profit for the first fiscal quarter following the success of its Super Mario movie and the new Zelda video game. Demand was strong for Nintendo Switch game software, which received a boost from this year’s release of the film. The movie has drawn more than 168 million people globally and grossed $1.3 billion. That makes it one of the top-selling animation films on record, second only to “Frozen II.” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is the top animated film based on a video game. “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” released in May, is also proving popular.