How A Minecraft Movie saved the Hollywood box office amid a slow season

Hollywood needed “A Minecraft Movie” to be a success, and it certainly delivered during its opening weekend, substantially closing the box office gap for the year.

A Minecraft Movie strikes gold with $300 million at the box office

No one anticipated the extent of its success. In its initial few days in theaters, the film raked in an impressive $157 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Internationally, it is projected to add another $144 million, resulting in a global debut total of $301 million. With ongoing school spring breaks, “A Minecraft Movie” is just starting its run.

“We’re just thrilled that audiences are responding and that everyone’s going to the theater,” said Pamela Abdy, co-chair and CEO of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.

Not only is this the largest opening of 2025, but “A Minecraft Movie” has also set a new record for video game adaptations, surpassing the previous record held by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million). Analysts had initially estimated the movie might earn around $80 million, but it nearly doubled that expectation. “You can’t underestimate the value of earnest, entertaining, joyous cinema,” remarked Michael DeLuca, co-chair and CEO.

“People really want an escape, especially when it involves the whole family.” While success is never guaranteed in filmmaking, a movie based on the best-selling video game of all time is a promising start. The lack of a solid narrative in the block-based game was inconsequential, as many of its 200 million active monthly players showed up in large numbers.

DeLuca noted that it’s one of the “broadest playing movies” they have ever seen, indicating its appeal across cinemas of all sizes around the globe.

The PG-rated film, directed by Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”), was a collaboration between Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Its production cost was reported at $150 million, excluding marketing and promotional expenses. The cast features Jack Black and Jason Momoa, alongside Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen. Their characters are thrust into a whimsical dimension known as the Overworld and must embark on a perilous yet absurd adventure to return home.

“We made the movie for the fans and the fans exceeded our expectations,” said DeLuca.

While critics had mixed reviews for “A Minecraft Movie,” audiences responded more favourably, giving it a B+ CinemaScore and 4 out of 5 stars in PostTrak exit polls. Approximately 62% of the audience were men, with 64% being under 25 years old. Warner Bros. invested heavily in the release, launching the film in 4,263 locations domestically and on 36,000 screens internationally.

“Younger audiences love going to the movie theater, believe it or not,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “This is the perfect small screen to big screen alliance. It became a must-see theatrical event. Awareness was off the charts.”

Video game adaptations have seen significant success recently, including titles like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the “Sonic” franchise, and “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”

“Video games were once a genre that had very mixed results at the box office, but the code has finally been cracked,” Dergarabedian commented.

In second place this week was the Jason Statham action film “A Working Man,” which earned $7.3 million in its second weekend. The third spot was taken by the second installment of the episodic series “The Chosen: Last Supper,” which brought in $7 million over the weekend. The last set of episodes will be released in theaters on April 11.

“Snow White” dropped to fourth place in its third weekend, accumulating $6.1 million, and has now surpassed $168 million globally.

The beginning of 2025 has been challenging for Hollywood and theaters, with disappointments such as “Snow White” and “Mickey 17.” However, a single hit can dramatically shift the landscape, especially with in-theater marketing efforts ramping up ahead of the crucial summer movie season starting in the first weekend of May.

Before this weekend, box office revenues were down 13% compared to last year, but that deficit has now been reduced to 5%.