Move over, Mario—there’s a new video game king at the box office. A Minecraft Movie smashed expectations with a record-breaking $157 million domestic debut, making it the biggest opening of the year and the best-ever for a video game adaptation.
Globally, the film raked in $301 million, proving that the blocky world of Minecraft is anything but square.
Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s PG-rated fantasy comedy, starring Jack Black as Steve and Jason Momoa as a mysterious adventurer, was projected to earn $70–$80 million. But thanks to its massive fanbase, family-friendly appeal, and nostalgia for the 2011 video game, Minecraft leveled up far beyond expectations.
Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), the film follows a group of misfits who are sucked into the cubic world of Minecraft and must navigate its dangers with the help of expert crafter Steve. While critics weren’t exactly enchanted (it holds a 48% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences didn’t seem to care. “This movie is for fans, not critics,” said David A. Gross of FranchiseRe. “When a release catches fire like this, it generates its own momentum.”
The film’s success is a much-needed win for Warner Bros., which has struggled with recent flops like The Alto Knights and Mickey 17. The studio pulled out all the stops for Minecraft, launching its largest-ever promotional campaign with 45 brand partnerships, including McDonald’s, Doritos, and Oreo.
Minecraft continues the trend of video game adaptations dominating the box office. Following hits like The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146 million opening), Sonic the Hedgehog, and Five Nights at Freddy’s, Hollywood seems to have cracked the code for turning small-screen games into big-screen events.
“This weekend’s performance proves the code has been officially cracked,” said Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
While Minecraft built its empire, other films struggled to compete. Jason Statham’s A Working Man earned a distant $7.2 million, while Disney’s live-action Snow White continued to disappoint with just $6 million in its third weekend.
