newspaper critics labeled it a feature-length commercial for Universal Studios Hollywood and Nintendo. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "a cynical exploitation film with a lot of commercial plugs" and "insanely overwritten and ineptly filmed". He later called it one of the worst films of 1989. Washington Post staff writer Rita Kempley wrote that the movie was "tacky and moribund", plagiarizing heavily from the 1988 film Rain Man. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 27% score, based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 23 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". David Sheff, in the book Game Over (1993), called it "less a piece of art than a one-hundred-minute advertisement for Nintendo that millions of families paid to see" especially for Super Mario Bros. 3. Levi Buchanan of IGN, in 2012, called it a "90-minute Super Mario Bros. 3 commercial". Despite the negative reviews, the film was still popular enough to achieve cult film status and to receive a reunion screening from Ain't It Cool News at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in Austin, Texas, on February 8, 2008. Director Holland and stars Savage and Edwards were in attendance to take questions from fans. Home media The Wizard was released on VHS and LaserDisc three times, in 1990, in 1992, and in 1997. By 1993, The Wizard grossed in video rentals. It was first released on DVD in Region 2 on February 2, 2001 and finally in the US and Canada (Region 1) on August 22, 2006. The Blu-ray version was released on May 15, 2018, and a special edition Blu-ray was released by Shout! Factory on March 24, 2020, with a new 4K remaster, audio commentary with director Todd Holland, never-before-seen deleted scenes, and more. Legacy On September 6, 2016, Pax West 2016 concluded with a replica of the Super Mario Bros. 3 tournament from the film. References External links OZY.com: Nintendo at the Movies 1989 films 1980s adventure films 1980s road movies 1989 comedy-drama films 1989 directorial debut films Universal Pictures films Carolco Pictures films American adventure comedy films American comedy-drama films American road movies American chase films Films about video games Films set in California Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Reno, Nevada Films set in Utah Films shot in California Films shot in Los