One of the painstaking things yours indeed criticized in the review uploaded for the latest gaming-turned-adaptation blockbuster is it was too formidable in exploiting a popular gaming IP for its mere gain. And despite all that, A Minecraft Movie somehow proved folks are delighted with more blockbusters dipping into this area (much like The Super Mario Bros. Movie), which earned a monstrous $157 million domestic opening and $301 million global debut. Yup, that’s the largest opening ever for a video game-based film and the third biggest April opening ever behind Avengers: Infinity War‘s $258 million and Avengers: Endgame‘s $356 million. Oh, and the second biggest non-sequel opening behind Warner Brothers’ Barbie in 2023 ($162 million), if you’re not counting any Disney live-action remakes, Black Panther, or the first Avengers.
So, what caused this call to action? It wasn’t necessarily a nostalgia act (a la Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine, Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, or even a Rise of Skywalker considering the Star Wars “fall from grace” after online pundits and folks scorned The Last Jedi). Minecraft, as a whole, has been one of the top-selling games of all time, initially released to success in 2011. And folks, including yours indeed, grew up in a fantasized world where anything could be possible. The game itself is skewed very much into the kid-friendly category, so less of it being a nostalgia act and more of a “kids are excited to see a cool new movie based on their favorite source material” served beautifully.
Jack Black is well-liked as a Hollywood lead, and butts-in-seats draw (Kung Fu Panda, Jumanji sequels), while Jason Momoa has been showing charm and thrills (Aquaman, Fast X), so putting them together made for a bemusing combination. Despite mixed reviews from critics, an A from CinemaScore and high ratings from the kids’ demographic may mean this will last until Lilo & Stitch on Memorial Day. It’s too soon to say where it will land regarding legs, but a $400 million domestic run and $850 million worldwide seem like realistic opportunities. If it does even better, we could discuss $1 billion worldwide down the line. For now, this is the shot of adrenaline the box office needed after a drought of releases and underwhelming numbers. Warner Brothers has stepped up this decade with notable numbers and franchises (Minecraft, Barbie, Dune, Wonka, Godzilla/Kong, The Conjuring). It’s no longer all on the third reboot of Superman (and James Gunn) come summertime. Deliver more of the goods to the kids, y’all; if nostalgia cannot be the sole carrier for success, maybe it’s time to get the kids to pull the parents back to the theaters.
In other news, A Working Man took second with $7.27 million in its second weekend; the Jason Statham-led feature is headed towards $50 million globally. Part 2 of The Chosen – Last Supper earned $6.7 million, while Part 1 took in $1.868 million in its second weekend. Disney’s Snow White has fallen under the bridge by already losing 450 theaters in its third weekend and earning $6.08 million. At this pace, it will bomb, even considering all the negative backlash to Rachel Zegler’s anti-MAGA views and the simple fact that it’s another lousy Disney remake no one is asking for. The Woman in the Yard earned $4.5 million in its second weekend, while Death of a Unicorn took in $2.696 million.
Next weekend sees the release of The Amateur, Drop, Warfare, The King of Kings, Gunslingers, Sacramento, and The Uninvited.
