A Minecraft Movie has crafted a box office smash. The long-awaited live-action adaptation of the best-selling video game opened to $58 million U.S. gross on Friday, including Thursday previews — the biggest opening day of 2025 to date and the highest single-day debut ever for a video game movie, according to Deadline.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s A Minecraft Movie now appears poised for a domestic opening weekend that could reach as high as $150 million, outpacing earlier projections of $70–80 million. That puts it in contention to surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $146 million debut for the top video game movie opening weekend ever.
The PG-rated adventure film is directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and stars Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Eugene Hansen and Jennifer Coolidge. Based on Mojang’s 2011 sandbox phenomenon, the movie marks the end of a decade-long development process that began in 2014. Legendary joined the project in 2019, and the current version gained traction after Hess signed on in 2022.
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Despite early fan skepticism about its live-action style, the film has won over audiences. Updated trailers emphasising visual effects and game-faithful storytelling helped drive interest. According to marketing data, social media and online trailers played a major role in getting fans to theaters, with strong same-day ticket sales pointing to word-of-mouth momentum.
The opening day figure places A Minecraft Movie just behind major April releases like Furious 7 and the Avengers films. With a marketplace-wide boost that brought total weekend box office estimates up to $197 million, the film has significantly narrowed the year-over-year box office gap, reducing 2025’s deficit compared to 2024 from -11% to -6%.
Strong walk-up traffic, an enthusiastic younger audience, and tie-ins like Minecraft-themed Happy Meals at McDonald’s have all contributed to the film’s early success. Whether it overtakes Barbie or The Super Mario Bros. Movie remains to be seen, but A Minecraft Movie has clearly tapped into a powerful audience base and is building momentum fast.
Published – April 06, 2025 12:29 pm IST