Bloomberg covered the story with better context, it should be noted that Nintendo just sold the majority of their Seattle Mariners share (still hold 10%) estimated around $1.5 billion. Movies, cartoons etc will give Nintendo better visibility for its intended audience, so Nintendo's wisely reinvesting from equity instead of dipping into their treasure chest.
"Any movies that might feature Nintendo’s popular characters from its Super Mario and Zelda franchises are probably two to three years from hitting big screens. The Japanese game maker said it’s in talks with multiple partners and plans to take the lead on production, rather than licensing out content. The effort will be funded from Nintendo’s sale of the bulk of its majority stake in the Seattle Mariners, which valued the team at $1.4 billion."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-16/nintendo-to-put-mario-to-work-with-foray-into-film-business
