There’s no slowing down A Minecraft Movie, which has jumped the $400 million mark at the global box office. By Sunday, that number should be north of $500 million as the watercooler sensation prepares to become the first title of 2025 to join the $1 billion club at the global box office.
The Warner Bros. family event pic has earned another $20 million domestically, putting its North American haul at $220.9 million through Friday. Overseas, it has earned $213.3 million for a global tally of $434.2 million, again through Friday.
The record-shattering video game adaptation in North America is expected to earn an eye-popping $80 million in its sophomore outing. Legendary produced the pic for Warner Bros. and has a 25 percent stake. Vertigo also assisted.
Playing in 4,289 theaters, A Minecraft Movie — which is making unintended headlines for rowdy behavior during certain scenes — is easily lording over a crowded pack of new films opening in North America before Easter, which falls on April 21 this year.
Among the new titles, Angel Studios’ animated faith-based pic The King of Kings is faring the best after winning over Middle America — the top-grossing theater is in Spartanburg, South Carolina — and receiving a coveted A+ from ticket buyers. The movie, inspired by a Charles Dickens’ tale of a boy and father who explore the life of Jesus, is headed for a second-place finish with $17 million to $18 million after earning $7 million Friday from 3,200 locations (in a successful marketing stunt, kids are being allowed in for free).
That will mark the best start for Angel Studios’ behind its inaugural release and cultural sensation Sound of Freedom. Based in Utah, Angel says King of Kings will boast the biggest opening in history for a biblical animated feature.
“This film is a testament to the power of storytelling that amplifies light and brings families together. Our Angel Guild and global community of supporters have once again shown that there’s a massive audience eager for stories that inspire and uplift,” Angel global head of theatrical distribution and brand development Brandon Purdie said in a statement.
Directed by Seong-Ho Jang, the film’s all-star voice cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, Roman Griffin Davis, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac, who plays Jesus.
Coming in third is 20th Century and Disney’s Rami Malek spy thriller The Amateur. The feature, earning a B+ CinemaScore and strong audience scores, opened to $5.9 million Friday from 3,400 theaters for an estimated weekend gross of $15 million. That’s in line with expectations for the film, even if it has left some critics unimpressed. Rachel Brosnahan, Laurence Fishburne and Caitríona Balfe also star in James Hawes’ adaptation of the Robert Littell novel about a man shattered by loss but galvanized by justice.
Blumhouse and Universal’s horror pic Drop is in a close battle with A24’s gritty Iraqi war drama Warfare for fourth place. Both films are pacing to open in the $7.5 million to $8 million range.
Drop — starring White Lotus actress Meghann Fahy opposite Brandon Sklenar — has been relatively well-received by critics and audiences since making its debut at SXSW. Directed by Christopher Landon and playing in 3,085 theaters, the horror pic follows a widowed mother who returns to the dating scene only to find herself caught in an awful game of cat and mouse.
Warfare has received notable media attention because of the unique perspective and experience of co-director Ray Mendoza, a former Navy SEAL. Also sitting in the other director’s seat is well-respected filmmaker Alex Garland. The movie has drawn strong marks from reviewers and moviegoers alike, along with an A- CinemaScore. It is booked in 2,670 sites.
Some box office pundits note that some of the films opening this weekend should have been spaced out so as not to cannibalize each other (i.e., Amateur versus Warfare, or King of Kings versus Fathom’s ongoing viewing of episodes from season five of The Chosen: The Last Supper).
The good news: Thanks in large measure to the astonishing performance of Minecraft, the year-over-year deficit in domestic box office revenue has fallen to less than 2 percent.
This is a developing story.
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