The Super Mario Bros. Movie post-credits scene and ending explained

It’s time. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out now, which means that fans can finally experience Chris Pratt’s version of Mario in all his glory. What a time to be alive.

If you’re here, I’m going to assume that you fall into one of two categories. The first is those asking whether The Super Mario Bros. Movie has a post-credits scene at all, so that they know whether they should stay put in their seat until they’re politely asked by staff to leave. As for the rest of you, I’m going to assume that you’re fresh out of the cinema and wondering what just happened at the end of the film. Rest assured, we’re going to deal with all of that right now, and I’ll be giving spoiler warnings where appropriate, so don’t worry if you’re yet to see the film.

Before we get into it, take a look at our interview with Anya Taylor-Joy about voicing Princess Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

So, does The Super Mario Bros. Movie have a post-credits or mid-credits scene? The short, spoiler-free answer to that question is yes - it has both. One of them is shown after the animated section of the credits, and the other is shown right at the very end of the ‘regular’ credits, so you’ll have to stick around for the whole time if you want to see it.

I’m sure you’re wondering if these extra scenes are worth sticking around for, and for starters, I’d say that there’s no reason not to make the most of your cinema ticket. Nibble the remainder of your popcorn if you haven’t already, and enjoy that comfy seat. But seriously though, they are definitely worth watching. I’m going to go into detail about what happens in both scenes as well as the ending of the movie in the following paragraphs, which means that this is your final warning to scroll away and enjoy the film unspoiled. I’m going to embed a nice picture of Bowser below to save you from accidentally seeing anything. Who says he can’t be the good guy?

Universal Pictures.

To discuss the events of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s mid and post-credits scene, we need to talk about the final act of the film itself. Mario, Luigi, Peach and the gang’s final showdown with Bowser takes the fight out of the Mushroom Kingdom and into Brooklyn itself. After Mario manages to bait a huge Bullet Bill into the Warp Pipe which leads to the real world, everyone and everything gets sucked through and plonked out in the middle of the road, which I can only imagine would be utterly terrifying for everyone involved. After the moustachioed brothers defeat Bowser by using the power of the Super Star, they feed him a Mini Mushroom, which shrinks him down into a palm-sized version of himself.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s mid-credits scene shows us Bowser living out his imprisonment in Peach’s castle. He’s not given up on his unrequited love for her, as he’s still practising his ballad for her from within his cage. However, when the camera pans out, we see that he remains affected by the Mini Mushroom, as he’s still tiny. Poor guy.

But what happens if you stick around to the very end? The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s post-credits scene is pretty exciting, as it seems to tease a sequel. We see a Yoshi egg hatching, seemingly in the sewers underneath Brooklyn, which implies that some things that were transported through the Warp Pipe during the final fight didn’t get returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. From this, the possibilities are endless. Could we be getting a Jurassic Park-style sequel where Yoshis take over Earth? Or does it suggest that other, more menacing creatures were also left behind to terrorise Brooklyn? That’s all up to interpretation right now.

At the time of writing, it’s not been confirmed if we’ll be getting a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but the post-credits scene does seem to imply it. Plus, in our interview with Princess Peach’s voice actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, she told us she’d love to reprise her role in the future. Hopefully, the rest of the cast also feel the same.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out now in UK cinemas.