Minecraft Just Beat Every Other Video Game Movie

A Minecraft Movie is off to a very good start for Warner Bros. so far. According to new numbers from Deadline, the film brought in $157 million domestically, with a global haul of more than $301 million. That’s officially the biggest opening weekend for a movie based on a video game, beating out the record established by The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023. Illumination’s animated film still holds the overall record for highest grossing movie based on a video game, but it remains to be seen how long that might last, given how well A Minecraft Movie is performing!

The box office success of A Minecraft Movie isn’t too surprising; Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all-time, with more than 350 million copies sold around the world. A game’s popularity does not always translate to success at the box office, but it seemed like a pretty safe bet that fans of the game were going to turn out in big numbers to support the adaptation. That has clearly happened, and it will be interesting to see if A Minecraft Movie can keep up this pace, and continue to make this kind of money at the box office.

The success of A Minecraft Movie will almost assuredly lead to a sequel. At this time, Warner Bros. has not announced a follow-up just yet, but the movie’s post-credit scene very clearly sets up plans for a second movie. In the same tradition of video game adaptations like Sonic the Hedgehog, A Minecraft Movie‘s post-credit scene does offer a quick tease at a character that could appear in the sequel, and they could potentially act as a catalyst for what comes next.

The Minecraft video games are made by Mojang, a company owned by Microsoft. Prior to the release of A Minecraft Movie, Xbox boss Phil Spencer told Variety last month that the company has learned from adaptations like Halo, Fallout, and now Minecraft, and continues to look for ways to improve on future adaptations. While Spencer did not offer any specific examples, he did note that “you’re going to see more” movies and TV shows based on the company’s brands. Another Minecraft movie seems like a very safe bet, and it will be interesting to see what else gets a similar treatment.

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Following the success of A Minecraft Movie, it’s a safe bet that the current video game gold rush will continue, as studios look for the next big game to adapt. The last few years have seen studios grabbing up the rights to every game that they can, from major favorites, to more obscure older games, and even smaller indie titles. No one knows for sure what might connect with audiences, but the next few years should see even more studios trying to find the next big video game hit in theaters and on streaming.

Have you checked out A Minecraft Movie yet? Do you think it will eventually break the record held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!