‘A Minecraft Movie’ Shatters Box Office Expectations With Record-Breaking $157 Million Opening Weekend

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The ‘Minecraft‘ movie had an impressive start at the cinemas, raking in a staggering $157 million during its first weekend. This isn’t just the top-grossing debut of 2021, but it also sets a new record for the highest-earning opening weekend of any film based on a video game.

Looking forward to the upcoming weekend, I’m excited about the prospect of Warner Bros. and Legendary’s PG fantasy comedy, featuring none other than Jack Black and Jason Momoa, potentially raking in anywhere between $70 million and $80 million at the box office. Some optimistic analysts are even predicting a higher figure, closer to $90 million!

As a die-hard movie fan, I’ve got to say that the long-awaited “Minecraft” movie surpassed all my expectations both in the U.S. and worldwide. With its universal appeal and positive vibes drawn from the beloved 2011 video game, it raked in a staggering $301 million at the global box office, with an additional $144 million earned internationally. Considering the film’s production budget of $150 million (including marketing costs), it’s safe to say that “Minecraft” has proven itself as a solid investment in the world of cinema.

Before the weekend just gone, Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” had set the bar as the highest opening of the year with earnings of $88 million. On the other hand, Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” released in 2023, claimed the record for the biggest debut for a video game adaptation with box office takings of $146 million.

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Up until this past weekend, Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” had been leading as the top opener of the year, earning $88 million. Meanwhile, Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” released in 2023, took the crown for the largest debut among video game adaptations with a box office haul of $146 million.

Jared Hess, known for “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre”, took the helm for a film based on Minecraft, titled simply “A Minecraft Movie”. This story centers around a band of outcasts who find themselves transported into a blocky universe. They are aided by a skilled artisan named Steve (portrayed by Black). Critics’ opinions have been divided (scoring 48% on Rotten Tomatoes), but this hasn’t deterred viewers from flocking to the theater.

According to David A. Gross, who heads the FranchiseRe film consultancy firm, the movie is attracting audiences across various age groups – from young children to older adults – making it a widely popular five-quadrant flick. Despite mixed reviews, he notes that these films are intended for viewers rather than critics. When a film ignites interest like this one has, its own momentum takes over and initial projections can be disregarded.

As a movie enthusiast, I’ve been eagerly waiting for a standout film to grace the silver screen, especially since Hollywood and Warner Bros., in particular, have been struggling to find success lately. The overall box office revenues are currently 5.3% below what was projected for 2024 and an staggering 35% lower than the figures from 2019, according to Comscore. However, “Minecraft” has managed to narrow this gap somewhat. Unfortunately, the studio’s recent releases, such as Robert De Niro’s “The Alto Knights” and Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson’s “Mickey 17,” didn’t quite hit the mark.

Fortunately, Warner Bros. has an exciting new project lined up – a $90 million R-rated vampire thriller titled “Sinners.” This film is being developed by the talented duo of Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan, who have previously collaborated on projects like “Black Panther” and “Creed.” I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table with this intriguing project!

2025 saw a slumber-like period at the domestic box office, and it’s high time we rouse it, remarks Gross. This development is encouraging for the industry, albeit short-term volatility can be detrimental. The box office, however, requires steadiness to thrive.

A film titled “A Minecraft Movie” is inspired by one of the most popular video games ever made, but a connection to such a game doesn’t automatically ensure success in the movie industry, as the fate of last year’s “Borderlands” demonstrates. However, movies based on video games have been more successful than unsuccessful lately, with “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “Sonic the Hedgehog,” and Tom Holland’s “Uncharted” all earning money at the box office.

I’m thrilled to be part of a production company that’s struck it rich in bringing popular properties to life on the big screen. The upcoming “Minecraft Movies” is yet another feather in our cap, following the successes of Godzilla, King Kong, Dune, and Dune Part II. Warner Bros. left no stone unturned in their efforts to make “Minecraft” a household name among moviegoers. Our promotional campaign was historic, marking the largest third-party partnership in our company’s history, which says a lot given that we’re the studio behind Barbie. We collaborated with 45 brands, such as McDonald’s, Doritos, Oreo, and Poppi Soda, to bring “A Minecraft Movie” to the masses.

In stark contrast, the success of “A Minecraft Movie” left other cinema releases fighting for leftovers at the box office. Coming in a distant second place was Jason Statham’s action thriller “The Working Man,” earning $7.2 million across 3,262 screens after two weeks in theaters. To date, the Amazon MGM production has grossed $27.7 million.

In the spiritual TV series “The Chosen: Last Supper – Part 2” by Fathom Entertainment, which centers around Jesus and his disciples, finished in third place last weekend with a revenue of $6.7 million across 2,235 cinemas. Fathom Events is continuing to screen the fifth season of the show in cinemas for two weeks at a time; so far, “Part 1” has earned a total of $17.3 million.

In its third week in theaters, Disney’s live-action “Snow White,” featuring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, slipped to fourth place, earning $6 million from 3,750 locations. With this performance, the film, which cost $250 million to produce, has only managed to bring in a disappointing $77 million domestically and $168 million globally so far. It seems poised to become one of the year’s biggest box office flops (although it is still early in 2025).

In its second week, “The Woman in the Yard” by Universal and Blumhouse, featuring Danielle Deadwyler, ranks fifth with a box office take of $4.5 million from 2,845 theaters. To date, it has earned $17 million. Notably, its production cost was only $12 million.

Additionally debuting at cinemas this weekend is “Hell of a Summer,” the horror comedy from Neon, earning $1.75 million across 1,255 screens. Given its modest budget of $3 million, this opening isn’t too shabby. The film was co-directed by Finn Wolfhard, known for his role in “Stranger Things,” and Billy Bryk, with both directors featuring in the movie as well. The storyline revolves around summer camp counselors being pursued by a masked killer. Preliminary data suggests that the majority of initial ticket buyers were women under 25, as reported by Neon.

More to come…

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2025-04-06 18:47