After a rough start to 2025, theater owners hoped “A Minecraft Movie” might overperform at the box office this weekend. Pre-release tracking indicated the Warner Bros. release was looking at anywhere from $55-70 million debut. Instead, the adaptation of the classic Mojang Studios game pulled in a staggering $157 million in the U.S. Not only is this the biggest opening in the U.S. this year, but the top opening frame since “Moana 2” debuted to $139 million over the three-day Thanksgiving weekend almost five months ago.
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Globally, “Minecraft” took in $144.1 million overseas, including a now rare Hollywood breakout in China ($14.5 million). The movie’s worldwide tally is now $301 million after just three days off a reported $150 million budget. Yes, Warner Bros. officially has a major money maker on its hands. It’s also the biggest opening for a movie based on a video game ever.
Directed by Jared Hess, best known for “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre,” “Minecraft” earned very mixed reviews with just a 47 grade on Metacritic and a rotten 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. Moviegoers somewhat disagreed with the film earning a slightly better B+ on CinemaScore. So, whether the movie has a long run in the vein of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which had a similar critical response but an A CinemaScore, remains to be seen. That 2023 video game adaptation ended up with $1.36 billion worldwide.
“Minecraft” is also another massive hit for Jack Black. Somehow under the radar, the comedic actor has spent the last 25 years making the studios substantial coin with the aforementioned “Super Mario Bros..,” the ongoing “Kung Fu Panda” franchise, two big “Jumanji” hits, “Goosebumps,” “The Holiday,” and “School of Rock,” among others.
“A Minecraft Movie” is also a big sigh of relief for Warner Bros.. The Burbank studio has already endured the financial disappointment of Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” and has a substantial amount of pressure with James Gunn’s “Superman” launching the new DC Studios, Ryan Coolger’s $90 million “Sinners” relatively weak on tracking and Paul Thomas Anderson’s $150 million budgeted “One Battle After Another” on deck later this year. The more “Minecraft” tallies, the better the odds that current Warner Bros. toppers and auteur film director fans Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca will hold on to their jobs.
The other big story at the box office is the surprising success “of The Chosen: The Last Supper – Part 1” and “The Chosen: The Last Supper – Part 2.” Distributed by Fathom, the former has now grossed $17.9 million in its first 10 days, and the latter debuted this weekend to $6 million. That’s an incredible $23.9 million so far for the independent “television episode” release. “Part 3” arrives on Friday.
After a horrifying first quarter, where movies such as “Captain America: Brave New World,“ “Snow White,” and a slew of original titles disappointed, Hollywood and the world’s theater owners hope “Minecraft” gets the general public in the habit of returning to their local multiplex once more. “The Amateur” opens on Friday, “Sinners’ releases on April 18, and Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” hopes to be the next big player on May 2.
“Minecraft” is now playing in theaters nationwide
