Minecraft Movie Shatters Box Office Records Worldwide

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Summary

  • A Minecraft Movie is setting box office records worldwide, earning $301 million in its opening weekend.
  • Despite mixed reviews from critics, A Minecraft Movie is resonating well with children globally, creating a live concert-like atmosphere in theaters.
  • After a decade in various states of production, Warner Bros.’ gamble on A Minecraft Movie has paid off.

It’s quite obvious that many people thought it was a smart move for Warner Bros. Pictures to produce a film based on Minecraft, given its popularity. Yet, even the studio itself may not have anticipated the box office success that came with it.

Ever since its public alpha version was introduced online in May 2009, the game known as Minecraft has swept across the gaming landscape. Five years following its debut, Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios, the Swedish developers responsible for its creation, along with the Minecraft intellectual property, for a staggering $2.5 billion. In retrospect, this seems like a small sum given that current figures show 170 million people play the game monthly. This sandbox survival/creation game holds the title as the best-selling video game ever made and has expanded into a multimedia empire, encompassing various spin-offs such as Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends, merchandise ranging from lunch boxes to actual LEGO sets. Despite Warner Bros. taking over a decade to bring A Minecraft Story out of production limbo and onto the big screen, their investment in the franchise has undeniably been worthwhile.

Based on reports from Deadline, the Minecraft movie is projected to break a new record as the biggest box office opening for any video game adaptation yet. The entertainment news site predicts that the film will earn approximately $157 million in its first three days, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $146.3 million gross over the same period by nearly $10 million. It’s worth noting that the Mario movie premiered on a Wednesday instead of a Friday, which likely impacted its overall earnings. Regardless, for Minecraft to start off with such a strong performance is truly remarkable.

A Minecraft Movie Is A Major Hit For Warner Bros. Pictures At Just The Right Time

If the anticipation surrounding the U.S. release of the movie wasn’t already high enough, The Hollywood Reporter reports that it has made an additional $144 million from international cinemas, raising the global weekend total to $301 million. Given typical Hollywood accounting methods (multiplying production costs by 2), any further earnings for “A Minecraft Movie” will be pure profit since it cost $150 million to produce. This kind of positive news is particularly beneficial for Warner Bros., who experienced disappointing box office returns with their biggest film last year, “Joker: Folie à Deux,” and their top-grossing film this year so far, “Mickey 17,” hasn’t exactly been a financial success.

The “Minecraft” movie hasn’t received glowing reviews from critics, with ratings of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes and 47 on Metacritic. However, this doesn’t seem to have deterred legions of children who are thoroughly enjoying the film in cinemas worldwide. Social media is abuzz with clips from packed screenings that resemble live concerts more than movie showings. To clarify, this phenomenon is fantastic and likely the best way to experience the film – among a crowd of people genuinely thrilled about its creation. If these young viewers are actually attending physical screenings and having fun, then they’re on the right track.

A Minecraft Movie is currently showing in theatres worldwide.

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2025-04-06 23:08