‘A Minecraft Movie’ Smashes Box Office … And A Few Theaters

Video games pose a very real threat to Hollywood’s box office hopes.

Modern games are more interactive and snazzier than their predecessors, digitally enslaving Gen Z in the process. “Netflix and Chill” doesn’t come close.

Studios surveyed the landscape and said, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Or, in this case, leverage their IPs for serious coin.

“A Minecraft Movie” earned a whopping $313 million across the globe in its opening weekend, pumping life into 2025’s sad theatrical start.

The smash comes on the heels of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, the burgeoning “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise, 2023’s “Super Mario Bros.” animated reboot and 2022’s “Uncharted” with Tom Holland. Let’s not forget 2021’s “Free Guy” with Ryan Reynolds as a lovable NPC (non-player character). The latter wasn’t based on any one video game but sprang from a sensibility gamers understood.

We’ve come a long way from wobbly video game adaptations like “Super Mario Bros.” (1993), “Max Payne” (2008) and “Alone in the Dark” (2005).

What changed? Studios started taking the source material seriously, expending big budgets to recreate the look and feel of the games in question. It helps that CGI advancements make it all possible, visually speaking. The sight of John Leguizamo and Bob Hoskins fleeing rubbery dinosaurs in 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.” still makes us wince.

Studios have hired A-listers like Jack Black, Jim Carrey, Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt to bring video games to stunning life.

They also didn’t make them woke or forget the core audience in question – boys and young men. Disney spent years transforming the “Star Wars” saga into a feminist-friendly franchise with shows like “The Acolyte.”

How did that work out again?

It’s notable that “A Minecraft Movie” features two key female characters and gives them little to do. The film’s creative team checked those Identity Politics boxes but neglected to give the stars any sense of agency.

Still, the film’s cast and crew didn’t leave longtime fans behind. The new video game movies efficiently work elements of the games into the on-screen adventures. Those blocky swords in “A Minecraft Movie” are just one of many familiar sights for hardcore fans.

That, plus a wave of “easter eggs” make gamers feel seen. And they’re telling their friends all about it.

Black’s performance in “Minecraft” shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s like the Energizer Bunny on screen, but with even more energy. He also promoted the film without going full or even the semi-Zegler. He praised the feature as a fun, upbeat adventure that could heal a fractured nation.

We’ve got to work together, my God. There’s so much violence and war and hatred. And that’s what I love about this movie — there’s a lot of love in it and there’s a lot of creativity. There is some anger and violence too, but in the end it’s about friendship and working together to make [the world] a better place.

Black has been a vocal Obama supporter in the past, even shooting a video to support the Democrat’s Iran policies – which haven’t aged well, to say the least.

He hasn’t been as loud about the political scene in recent years. He even temporarily shelved his Tenacious D band when fellow rocker Kyle Gass wished for President Donald Trump’s assassination on stage.

Carrey similarly stopped his barrage of hard-Left, anti-GOP paintings in recent years. Meanwhile, Reynolds and Pratt are known for their upbeat, mostly apolitical personas.

Not every recent video game movie snagged “Minecraft”-sized numbers. Last year’s “Borderlands” debacle got ignored by gamers and torched by film critics.

The smart 2023 drama “Grand Turismo” offered a novel way to bring the driving game to the big screen, but audiences didn’t bite in “Minecraft”-sized numbers ($44 million US).

Still, the recent hits have given Hollywood exactly what it needs – young movie goers eager to share their thoughts on social media. “A Minecraft Movie” became a meme sensation in real time, with users producing “Chicken Jockey” gags on TikTok and elsewhere.

If you have to ask, you either never played the game or don’t have children under the age of 16.

Those memes made “Minecraft” an “event,” much like the 2023 “Barbie” movie. Women gathered their friends together to see the film wearing their best, “Barbie”-like outfits.

Now, teens are devouring “Minecraft” movie memes and celebrating them in theaters en masse. That’s exactly what studios love to see, even if some young fans are getting carried away with their exuberance. Those viral clips, ironically, will only build on the film’s popularity.

There’s another factor here, one that plugs in seamlessly to the “Minecraft” ethos. Many modern video games offer a canvas for inspired young minds. “Fortnite,” for example, allows gamers to choose from any number of “skins” and weapons. Players can team with friends across the street – or the globe – to create their own adventures.

They’re not just part of the action, they’re making the games up as they go. “Minecraft” might be the ultimate example of that ethos. The pixel-friendly game demands creativity from start to finish.

Movies aren’t interactive, at least for now. Films like “A Minecraft Movie” tap into that sense of self-directed adventure, the kind that makes video game adaptations into blockbuster hits.

The only downside for Hollywood? Studios will learn the wrong lessons from “A Minecraft Movie” and we’ll suffer through a few more “Borderlands” in the coming years.

* * *

Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Video games pose a very real threat to Hollywood’s box office hopes.

Modern games are more interactive and snazzier than their predecessors, digitally enslaving Gen Z in the process. “Netflix and Chill” doesn’t come close.

Studios surveyed the landscape and said, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Or, in this case, leverage their IPs for serious coin.

“A Minecraft Movie” earned a whopping $313 million across the globe in its opening weekend, pumping life into 2025’s sad theatrical start.

The smash comes on the heels of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, the burgeoning “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise, 2023’s “Super Mario Bros.” animated reboot and 2022’s “Uncharted” with Tom Holland. Let’s not forget 2021’s “Free Guy” with Ryan Reynolds as a lovable NPC (non-player character). The latter wasn’t based on any one video game but sprang from a sensibility gamers understood.

We’ve come a long way from wobbly video game adaptations like “Super Mario Bros.” (1993), “Max Payne” (2008) and “Alone in the Dark” (2005).

What changed? Studios started taking the source material seriously, expending big budgets to recreate the look and feel of the games in question. It helps that CGI advancements make it all possible, visually speaking. The sight of John Leguizamo and Bob Hoskins fleeing rubbery dinosaurs in 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.” still makes us wince.

Studios have hired A-listers like Jack Black, Jim Carrey, Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt to bring video games to stunning life.

They also didn’t make them woke or forget the core audience in question – boys and young men. Disney spent years transforming the “Star Wars” saga into a feminist-friendly franchise with shows like “The Acolyte.”

How did that work out again?

It’s notable that “A Minecraft Movie” features two key female characters and gives them little to do. The film’s creative team checked those Identity Politics boxes but neglected to give the stars any sense of agency.

Still, the film’s cast and crew didn’t leave longtime fans behind. The new video game movies efficiently work elements of the games into the on-screen adventures. Those blocky swords in “A Minecraft Movie” are just one of many familiar sights for hardcore fans.

That, plus a wave of “easter eggs” make gamers feel seen. And they’re telling their friends all about it.

Black’s performance in “Minecraft” shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s like the Energizer Bunny on screen, but with even more energy. He also promoted the film without going full or even the semi-Zegler. He praised the feature as a fun, upbeat adventure that could heal a fractured nation.

We’ve got to work together, my God. There’s so much violence and war and hatred. And that’s what I love about this movie — there’s a lot of love in it and there’s a lot of creativity. There is some anger and violence too, but in the end it’s about friendship and working together to make [the world] a better place.

Black has been a vocal Obama supporter in the past, even shooting a video to support the Democrat’s Iran policies – which haven’t aged well, to say the least.

He hasn’t been as loud about the political scene in recent years. He even temporarily shelved his Tenacious D band when fellow rocker Kyle Gass wished for President Donald Trump’s assassination on stage.

Carrey similarly stopped his barrage of hard-Left, anti-GOP paintings in recent years. Meanwhile, Reynolds and Pratt are known for their upbeat, mostly apolitical personas.

Not every recent video game movie snagged “Minecraft”-sized numbers. Last year’s “Borderlands” debacle got ignored by gamers and torched by film critics.

The smart 2023 drama “Grand Turismo” offered a novel way to bring the driving game to the big screen, but audiences didn’t bite in “Minecraft”-sized numbers ($44 million US).

Still, the recent hits have given Hollywood exactly what it needs – young movie goers eager to share their thoughts on social media. “A Minecraft Movie” became a meme sensation in real time, with users producing “Chicken Jockey” gags on TikTok and elsewhere.

If you have to ask, you either never played the game or don’t have children under the age of 16.

Those memes made “Minecraft” an “event,” much like the 2023 “Barbie” movie. Women gathered their friends together to see the film wearing their best, “Barbie”-like outfits.

Now, teens are devouring “Minecraft” movie memes and celebrating them in theaters en masse. That’s exactly what studios love to see, even if some young fans are getting carried away with their exuberance. Those viral clips, ironically, will only build on the film’s popularity.

There’s another factor here, one that plugs in seamlessly to the “Minecraft” ethos. Many modern video games offer a canvas for inspired young minds. “Fortnite,” for example, allows gamers to choose from any number of “skins” and weapons. Players can team with friends across the street – or the globe – to create their own adventures.

They’re not just part of the action, they’re making the games up as they go. “Minecraft” might be the ultimate example of that ethos. The pixel-friendly game demands creativity from start to finish.

Movies aren’t interactive, at least for now. Films like “A Minecraft Movie” tap into that sense of self-directed adventure, the kind that makes video game adaptations into blockbuster hits.

The only downside for Hollywood? Studios will learn the wrong lessons from “A Minecraft Movie” and we’ll suffer through a few more “Borderlands” in the coming years.

* * *

Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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