Box Office: ‘Minecraft’ Is Already the Highest-Grossing Domestic Release of 2025; Angel Studios’ ‘King of Kings’ Outdoing ‘The Amateur,’ ‘Drop’

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In its second weekend, “A Minecraft Movie” was expected to dominate the domestic box office; however, theaters are also welcoming a number of new releases. Among these, Angel Studios’ animated biblical film, “The King of Kings,” is projected to take the second spot, surpassing movies from large studios like “The Amateur” and “Drop.

Leading the pack, I’m contributing to the success of “A Minecraft Movie” by Warner Bros. and Legendary, which continues to pile up impressive earnings, adding another $20.5 million on Friday alone. This comedy adaptation of Mojang’s popular video game is anticipated to rake in over $80 million in its second weekend, placing it as the third-largest weekend gross of the year, trailing only behind its massive opening weekend of $162 million and not far from Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” which debuted with $88 million. Truly living up to its name as a blockbuster!

Predicting a 50% drop, “Minecraft” may not surpass the impressive performances of movies like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” or “Barbie,” which experienced drops of 36% and 42%, respectively, in their second weekends. However, its ability to maintain ticket sales after the initial fan rush shows that “Minecraft” has expanded beyond its core fanbase. In just seven days, “A Minecraft Movie” has already surpassed a $200 million domestic gross, making it the highest-grossing North American release of the year so far. Now, we’ll see how high it can climb further.

Despite a PG-rated blockbuster leading the market, the animated movie “The King of Kings” is offering a strong alternative for family audiences, securing the second spot on domestic box office charts. This Korea-produced feature, with its loose interpretation of Charles Dickens’ “The Life of Our Lord,” made approximately $6.8 million during its opening day and preview screenings at over 3,200 locations. To attract more families, Angel is implementing a “Kids Go Free” initiative, allowing children free admission when an adult ticket is purchased. Analysts predict that the film will open to around $18 million.

Should it slightly surpass expectations, this film could potentially set a new record as the most successful debut for independent distributor Angel Studios, eclipsing the success of their previous big hit, “Sound of Freedom,” which opened to $19 million and ultimately grossed an astounding $184 million domestically in 2023. This film outperformed major studio releases like “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning.” Since then, Angel Studios has been relatively low-key, releasing smaller dramas with a faith-based theme. Their next biggest success after “Freedom” was “Homestead,” which earned $20 million domestically and hinted at a sequel series for their streaming service.

The animated film “King of Kings” is expected to become the second highest-grossing movie for studio Angel in a matter of days, surpassing traditional releases. With its release timing coinciding with the upcoming Easter holiday weekend, there’s optimism for increased earnings. The film, starring Oscar Isaac as Jesus Christ and boasting a stellar cast including Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, Kenneth Branagh, and Uma Thurman, has received average reviews. However, Angel’s films have consistently appealed to their intended audience, with Cinema Score’s top-tier “A+” rating suggesting that this trend continues.

Among the recent debuts, “The Amateur” is garnering the most interest, taking in $6 million during Friday screenings and previews from 3,400 locations. It’s aiming for a weekend total of over $15 million. This film, distributed by Disney under their 20th Century Studios label, is competing with “Minecraft” and A24’s “Warfare” in IMAX and other premium large-format theaters this weekend. Directed by James Hawes, this PG-13 vigilante movie was made for $60 million. It needs to stay in cinemas for some time to fully recover its production cost. Critics have given it mixed reviews, but audiences seem more favorable, earning a “B+” grade from Cinema Score.

The competition between the fourth and fifth positions is close, but for now, the Iraq war drama “Warfare” has a slight lead, raking in approximately $3.5 million over Friday and preview showings at 2,670 theaters, aiming for an opening weekend of $8 million. Co-directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, this R-rated military drama marks their second collaboration following the success of “Civil War” last year under A24. Although a cheaper production compared to most studio films, it is pricier according to A24’s standards. The independent label will aim to capitalize on positive reviews and strong audience reactions (an “A-” grade from Cinema Score) for a lengthy theatrical run.

Universal’s contemporary suspense thriller “Drop” is rapidly catching up, making $3.3 million over Friday and preview showings at 3,085 venues, projected to open with $7.7 million. This PG-13 Blumhouse production, starring “White Lotus” sensation Meghann Fahy and “It Ends With Us” actor Brandon Sklenar in a disastrous first date scenario, had a production budget of $11 million and hopes to boost its box office performance with positive critic reviews. The Christopher Landon-directed movie received a somewhat more moderate “B” grade from Cinema Score among viewers.

Just outside the top five spots, Fathom Events is set to release its third and final collection of episodes for “The Chosen: Last Supper” this weekend. This latest group has already grossed $2.5 million over Friday and previews. The specialty banner has chosen to split Season 5 of 5&2 Studios’ Biblical adaptation into three theatrical releases, with the finale episodes (7-8) arriving in cinemas this week. The first two packages, which were released two weeks prior, have collectively generated over $28 million thus far.

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2025-04-12 18:47