Box Office: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Strikes Gold With Record-Shattering $157M U.S. Launch, $301M Globally

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The box office blues have been banished in historic fashion.

The “Minecraft” film produced by Warner Bros., in collaboration with Legendary Pictures, achieved phenomenal success, earning an unprecedented $157 million in its domestic debut and $144 million abroad, resulting in a worldwide opening of a staggering $301 million.

The movie exceeded predictions by earning over tens of millions in its debut, becoming the highest-grossing opening for a film based on a video game. It surpassed Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which earned $146.4 million during Easter weekend in 2023 (earning $204 million from Wednesday to Easter Sunday).

Or, more concisely:

The film based on a video game had an impressive debut, earning over tens of millions and surpassing the opening weekend of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in 2023. It earned $204 million from Wednesday to Easter Sunday, compared to $146.4 million for “Mario Bros.” over Easter weekend.

The much-anticipated “Minecraft” film has confidently claimed the number one spot in box office earnings for 2025, so far. Legendary Studios contributed a quarter of the announced $150 million production budget (excluding promotional expenses).

At no other moment could this blockbuster movie with a stellar cast have been more timely. The box office revenue for 2025 has plummeted significantly in recent days. This highly anticipated “Minecraft” film is exactly what Hollywood studios and cinema owners needed to regain some optimism, following disappointing performances by movies like Disney’s “Snow White,” which unfortunately tasted the bitter apple.

This victory is beneficial not only for Warner Bros. studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela, as well as the studio itself, but also for Legendary, with movie chief Mary Parent playing a significant role in its development and production. She has received praise for her idea of hiring Jared Hess, known for films like “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre”, to direct this project.

In the PG-rated film titled after Mojang Studios’ video game, Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen star. The story revolves around four unlikely friends who are transported through a mystical portal into an extraordinary, cubic universe teeming with creativity. To return home, they must adapt to their strange new environment while undertaking a journey alongside an unforeseen, skilled artisan, with Jack Black portraying the legendary character Steve.

On Saturday morning, following Friday’s impressive earnings of $58 million, insiders at Warner Bros predicted a domestic opening of $135 million. Some competing studios speculated that it could potentially reach up to $150 million, but an unexpected surge in ticket sales boosted the actual figure even higher.

Minecraft holds the title as the most popular video game ever, having sold more than 300 million units worldwide and boasting approximately 174 million active users each month by the year 2024.

Even with mediocre reviews or a B+ rating from CinemaScore, the movie “A Minecraft Movie” still managed to earn a perfect score from moviegoers who are under 18.

The polling firm PostTrak found that teenagers aged 13 to 17 comprised about a third of the audience, and those between 18 and 24 made up the largest group. This data aligns with demographics known for frequent movie-watching. Additionally, families showed strong attendance, and males constituted roughly 65% to 67% of the viewers, as anticipated.

In a thrilling turn of events, I’m excited to share that “A Minecraft Movie” is making waves internationally, particularly in China! It recently dominated the weekend box office, raking in an impressive $14.6 million, outperforming all other Hollywood releases this year. Legendary East is spearheading the film’s distribution in China, adding to its global success story.

More to come.

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2025-04-06 18:24