There’s just something about the Super Mario Brothers that makes movie theater owner Zeke Heling want to turn a trip to the movies into an immersive experience.
That’s why, when “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” was released April 1, he decided to turn Shawano Cinema and More into a giant simulator where moviegoers get chances to make memories, play games and win prizes. For example, ticket holders get a chance to play Mario Roulette via the mini-game from Super Mario Bros. 3, where players have to match pictures of power-ups.
Music playing throughout the halls comes from the various Mario games that have been in place for more than 40 years. Decorations like question blocks and more can be found all over the place, and there’s a warp pipe area where families and others can take photos with a Mario-themed background. Most of the employees are dressed up like characters from the games and movies — including Heling’s own father, Steve, who dressed up like Bowser, Mario’s most infamous adversary.
Heling has always had opportunities for visitors to earn points via rewards cards to be redeemed for free concessions and even free movies, but he’s upped the stakes with the simulator. There are other games to play and chances to win prizes, all the way up to the chance to play Mario Kart on the cinema’s big screens.
It’s not the first time Heling has bumped up the Mario experience. He also made some improvements on the theater when “The Super Mario Brothers Movie” was released in 2023, shortly before he took ownership of it and changed some of the setup so visitors didn’t just have a standard movie experience.
“That got a really great reaction,” Heling said of his first Mario-themed upgrade. “Even before that — I don’t remember what year it was, maybe 2012 — there was a movie called ‘Wreck It Ralph,’ and it was a video game-themed movie. At the time, I had the vision of what it could look like if I transformed the theater into Mario’s world. At the time, I hadn’t developed my skill enough, and time management, design and everything else it would take to do it.”
Heling said he dressed as Mario then, and other employees dressed up as other characters from the movie. He said he had regrets about not doing more at that time, but he’s made up for it with the latest experiences.
One customer saw the roulette game when the first Mario movie came out and mentioned that he never wins anything at games of chance like that, Heling recalled. The customer won a movie pass and lit up, saying, “Thank you so much. This has been a wonderful day.”
Heling’s favorite memory from the latest simulator revolves around a little boy who kept asking him questions and kept referring to him as Mario.
“He said, ‘Hey, Mario, I’m a fan of yours,’” Heling said. “I felt like he truly believed I was Mario.”
It’s customers like that who inspire Heling to do more. The simulator was originally supposed to conclude April 14, but fan demand has prompted him to extend the experience at least through April 26.
“I’m trying to hold onto my sense of wonder and give it life,” Heling said. “I’m trying to help people who have aged get that back.”
In an age where it’s harder to get people to go to movie theaters while competing with streaming platforms and other at-home movie experiences, Heling believes providing more than simple access to the latest blockbusters is essential.
“Where else do you walk into a place and feel immersed in the film itself? Where can you have those moments with your family and your friends?” Heling said. “It’s more active rather than passive. I’m trying to define this as an extraordinary entertainment destination focused on movies, events and immersive experiences — past, present and future all under one roof.”
Concessions and more are disguised as question blocks, ice flowers, standard bricks and other Mario Bros. icons at the Shawano Cinema and More during “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” run, which was recently extended. (Lee Pulaski | NEW Media)
