Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises, is reporting an 18.6% surge in net profit for the first fiscal quarter on the back of strong demand for its new Switch 2 console.

This week’s new entertainment releases include albums from Dove Cameron and Peter Gabriel, Harrison Ford’s last hurrah as Indiana Jones swings onto Disney+ and Elvis will be honored with a starry special “Christmas at Graceland” featuring Post Malone, Alanis Morissette, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves and Kane Brown.

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.

Nintendo’s profit for the fiscal year ended in March was little changed from the previous year, edging down 0.6% to 477.7 billion yen, or about $3.7 billion.

An unopened copy of Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 has sold at auction for $1.56 million.

Nintendo’s says its profit for the fiscal year that ended in March jumped 86% on healthy sales of the Switch handheld machine as people staying at home due to the pandemic turned to video games.

After several delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, “Super Nintendo World” at Universal Studios Japan is now open. The amusement park is a bigger-than-life-size replica of the company’s most famous games, featuring characters like Mario, Luigi and Yoshi. CNN’s Selina Wang got an insider’s look at the new park, showing how guests enter through the warp pipe. The opening comes as the global theme park industry is struggling and theme parks are reopening in a patchwork around the world. There are plans to open Super Nintendo World in other parts of the world, including Orlando, where the opening has reportedly been delayed until 2025.

March 10 marks Mario Day, or MAR10 DAY, according to Nintendo. From challenging mini-games during Super Mario Parties to drifting in Mario Kart, Mario has had a long, nostalgic and successful career. As Central Florida waits for Super Nintendo World to make its formal debut at Universal’s Epic Universe, we’ll all have to celebrate the superstar on our screens for now. [WATCH: Super Nintendo World coming to Epic Universe]Though Mario is more than happy to get paid in gold coins, Nintendo understands a small discount for his fans is much appreciated. This year, even Luigi is getting some love on Mario Day, with discounts on Luigi’s Mansion.

(Nintendo, the Japanese company behind Super Mario and Pokemon video games, reported Thursday that its fiscal first half profit more than tripled as passed time while stuck at home during the pandemic playing games. AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)TOKYO – Nintendo, the Japanese company behind Super Mario and Pokemon video games, reported Thursday that its fiscal first half profit more than tripled as passed time while stuck at home during the pandemic playing games. Kyoto-based Nintendo Co.’s profit for the six months through September soared to 213 billion yen ($2 billion), up from 62 billion yen a year ago. Six-month sales soared to 769 billion yen ($7.4 billion) from 444 billion yen. Nintendo raised its full year profit forecast through March to 300 billion yen ($2.9 billion), up from an earlier projection of a 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) profit.

All rights reserved)TOKYO Nintendo Co.'s profit multiplied more than sixfold in April-June as people stuck at home during the pandemic turned to playing video games. Quarterly sales at Kyoto-based Nintendo jumped, doubling to 358 billion yen ($3.4 billion) on-year. Nintendo Switch sales, both of the handheld machines and software games, were zooming amid the pandemic. The company stuck to its previous forecast for a 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) profit for the fiscal year through March 2021. Thats slightly lower than the nearly 259 billion yen Nintendo earned the previous fiscal year.