Super Mario Bros, Assassin's Creed, Uncharted... video games in the cinema: a winning bet?
In 2023, Super Mario Bros, the film inspired by the eponymous Nintendo game, topped the box office in France with 7,359,264 admissions. This is a specific example of a well-known and commonly used practice in the entertainment market: adapting narrative content from one medium to another, a strategy that is effective in many ways.
Guergana Guintcheva, EDHEC Business School and Philippe Aurier, University of Montpellier
Is adapting content a winning strategy?
The most common case is the adaptation of a book for the cinema, which has proven its effectiveness since the origins of this medium. From a commercial point of view, film adaptations of books earn 53% more than films based on original screenplays, and 70% of the 20 most profitable films in the world are based on books.
In terms of audience, adapting a story that has been successful and has won over a large target audience ensures the appeal of a captive audience that will certainly want to see it again on another medium, enriching the experience. The appeal of repetition is evident from childhood. From a very young age, we listen to or watch stories (fairy tales, stories told by our elders, books, and movies). Laura Perachio shows that children prefer fidelity to creative interpretation. They like to relive a story they already know. They seek a predictable experience that reassures them because they know the characters, the climax, and the outcome.
Transposing a story without distorting it
The process of adapting a video game for the cinema (or vice versa) can be analyzed from the perspective of brand extension, a well-known concept in marketing. Brand extension involves developing and marketing new products under the name of an existing brand, but in new categories. For example, Nutella (parent brand, spread category) launches cookies (brand extension into a new category, cookies). The goal is to leverage the awareness, image, and trust associated with the existing brand in order to penetrate new markets. It is essential that brand extension is consistent with the values of the parent brand in order to avoid any confusion or dilution of its image. This consistency, known as the "fit" between the parent brand and the extension, facilitates the transfer of brand values to the extension. In turn, this reinforces the credibility of the parent brand and creates a positive connection with the target audience.
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The figures show that this form of brand extension is highly successful in the case of video games adapted for the cinema.
Why does the synergy between video games and cinema work?
First, over the years and with technological advances, we have seen a technical convergence between these two media. Video games, like cinema, seek realism in framing and shots; use real actors through motion capture to make character animations more realistic; feature high-definition graphics; and include cutscenes (scenes during which the player does not play, used to advance the narrative, introduce a character, or boost immersion).
Secondly, adapting video games for the cinema capitalizes on captive audiences who are already loyal to the game universe and will certainly be the first to go to the theater, which reduces the risk associated with the film's release. In addition, transposing the universe of a video game into film format broadens the audience base, as film is a short, mainstream format that is more accessible. Video games usually last several dozen hours (143 hours to complete Assassin's Creed Odyssey; 52 hours to complete Mario Kart Deluxe; or even years for saga games (33 years and 123 days for the Dragon Quest game), whereas the short format of a film allows for immediate immersion in the universe.
The 2016 film Assassin's Creed was not necessarily aimed at immediate profitability, but rather at promoting the franchise by spreading awareness of the brand to audiences unfamiliar with the franchise and the game universe.
It is important to note that there is an asymmetry in the adaptation process, with the majority of video games being adapted into films, while few films are adapted into video games.
Even though film production companies and video game publishers seem to be cooperating successfully, it is crucial that the adaptation be validated by viewers.
A mixed reception
The answer is nuanced. For example, the film Uncharted, adapted from the hugely successful PlayStation game series, is a commercial success with an estimated production budget of $120 million and $400 million in global box office receipts, but audience reviews are mixed: it has a rating of 6.3/10 on IMDb.
The Super Mario Bros. movie, meanwhile, with a production budget of $100 million, grossed over $1 billion worldwide and was more favorably received by audiences, scoring 7/10 on IMDb.
Audiences who consume narrative content from another medium in the cinema arrive with expectations that the adaptation must meet. But these expectations are ambivalent. Viewers want to see a story they already know and love perfectly preserved, while also enjoying an experience that is sufficiently different, new, and enriched. The adaptation must therefore tread a particularly fine line, balancing fidelity to the source material on the one hand with creative enrichment on the other. For example, the film Super Mario Bros. remained very faithful to the colorful world of the game and its protagonists, while offering a more complex story with a real exploration of the character of Princess Peach, who is strong and independent and defends herself with her wrestling moves, with creative elements specific to the medium of film, such as the voices of well-known actors and music that recalls the themes of the game but is remixed with musical touches such as Bowser's declaration of love to Peach on the piano.
The link between video games and cinema will continue to grow stronger in the future. Globally, the video game industry exceeds the film industry in terms of revenue. It is showing steady growth and a continuously expanding player base.
This cooperation is therefore clearly a "GG" ("Good Game" in gamer slang).
Guergana Guintcheva, Professor of Marketing, EDHEC Business School and Philippe Aurier, Professor of Marketing, University of Montpellier
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