The new Minecraft movie is minting gold at the box office.
The movie earned a huge $58 million on Friday — including a record $10.6 million in previews — putting it on course for a domestic debut of $135 million or more. That would mark one of the top showings ever for a video game adaptation.
Not only would $135 million mark the biggest opening of the year to date, but A Minecraft Movie would make the biggest one of the top starts ever for a video game adaptation. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in early April 2023, wears the domestic crown with $146.4 million.
If that sort of interest in A Minecraft Movie continues, the high-wattage ensemble pic could open to $75 million or more, and that’s on the conservative side. The domestic box office is presently in a terrible state, and Minecraft could prove to be the shot of confidence Hollywood studios and cinema owners need after recent films, including Disney’s Snow White, have turned into major disappointments.
Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge and Danielle Brooks star in A Minecraft Movie, as well as Emma Myers and Sebastian Eugene Hansen. Many were in attendance for the film’s world premiere in London last weekend, helping to explain why they didn’t attend Warner Bros. CinemaCon presentation this week amid rampant speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav is looking to replace movie studio heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy.
Minecraft is certainly a win for the duo, but Legendary’s May Parent helped guide the movie creatively, including help bring aboard Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) to direct.
The movie, based on the video game of the same name, centers around four misfits who are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they must master their new reality’s quirks while embarking on a quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, as Black steps into the shoes of the iconic character Steve.
Minecraft opens day-and-date around the world.
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