Late last year, IndieWire hosted college students from UC Berkeley at our Los Angeles offices for a presentation on the journalistic and educational content that their generation of film and TV professionals want to see. Afterwards, I chatted with a group of these informed and confident industry hopefuls and wanted to know what they found worth watching. “The Bear”? Maybe Sean Baker‘s soon-to-be Oscar-sweeper “Anora”? To my surprise, the only thing they’d all seen recently was the Max original film “Sweethearts.”
Surprising? At first, but then it was self evident: A film about teens returning home from college for the first time and recognizing the shifts that have taken place — how could it not appeal to exactly to this group of students?
That lesson repeated itself as social media blew up this weekend over the surprise $157 million domestic box-office opening for “A Minecraft Movie.” The trailers, marketing materials, and stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa may or may not have suggested theater-worthy entertainment. I’ve never played “Minecraft,” but I am a Wikipedia user and one search told me everything I need to know about why an adaptation (albeit one that took 10 years to make) was a good bet.
It is the best-selling video game of all time, having sold over 300 million copies and maintaining nearly 170 million monthly active users as of 2024. It has received critical acclaim, is used in educational environments to teach chemistry, computer-aided design, and computer science, and has a franchise of multiple spin-offs. All of that speaks to a fan base likely to buy in, especially since the first game was only released in 2011. That means there’s been enough time for multiple generations to become invested, but not so much that it feels outdated. And the whole point of “Minecraft” is to unleash creative freedom, something that deeply appeals to a youth-based market.
How many times have we seen studio leaders lean into their own narcissistic nostalgia, clinging to their often-outdated tastes for guidance? So much that it’s the engine of the pilot for hit Apple TV+ series “The Studio.” At the behest of billionaire overlord Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston), a man who must be approaching his seventh decade, the newly minted studio head Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) must spearhead the creation of a Kool-Aid movie.
The episode hinges on the struggle to shape the IP into a commercial hit, or an Oscar contender, or some godforsaken compromise, but almost no attention is paid to the fact that Kool-Aid has long since been eclipsed by Capri Sun, Crystal Light, and even Liquid Death. And who’s to tell the studio’s senior-citizen chairman that his “Oh, Yeah!” memories are decades out of date?
In the real world, consider the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot directed by Paul Feig and produced by Amy Pascal and the film’s original director, Ivan Reitman. Blame for its failure went to its female-led cast, but the real problem was it didn’t take interest in attracting young new fans. By comparison, the 2021 reboot-reboot “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” features kids in addition to adults — and was produced for half the budget of the 2016 take.
Sometimes a good story or excellent execution can overcome hoary material. (Such will likely be the case with Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” IP that’s now nearly 3,000 years old. However, that’s Christopher Nolan.) Studios love to target disposable income of the young, but their aim often aligns with the executives’ cultural touchpoints rather than those of their audience.
That’s not to say “Minecraft” was an easy movie to make; it went into development at Warners more than 10 years and many regimes ago. However, it’s also worth noting that in 2015 Warners held the rights to the popular video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Then-chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara’s team allowed the project to languish in development hell, whereupon it was acquired by Jason Blum at Universal’s Blumhouse.
Even then the project was undervalued, with Universal ultimately deciding to stream it on Peacock the same day they were set to release it in theaters. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” grossed nearly $300 million against a $20 million budget. Had Universal held back on streaming, it’s estimated it could’ve grossed at least twice that. The film’s sequel will finally receive the royal treatment, with a prime rollout at CinemaCon last week.
The success of “Freddy’s” and “Minecraft” reveals something that should be self evident: Put the younger generation’s interests into focus, y’all. This ethos applies not only to major IP but also to modest-budget originals, like “Sweethearts.” With the right push, it might have been a huge hit at the Thanksgiving box office instead of yet another item lost to the streaming bin.
There’s the excuse that younger generations no longer go to theaters… until there’s “A Minecraft Movie.” That said, the theatrical experience must offer something new to remain relevant. Some may balk at the notion of text-friendly screenings, but what does the audience want? This weekend, social media is filled with videos from “Minecraft” screenings not unlike your average “Rocky Horror Picture Show” showing or the popular “Wicked” sing-alongs.
An unfinished version of “Minecraft” seems to be floating around online. Rather than focus on the piracy, Warner Bros. and theaters could capitalize on this with screenings, making it canon with the project. It would speak to the importance of design inherent to “Minecraft,” and it would show that these companies, for once, recognize the zeitgeist.
