Adaptations of video games to film and television have proven to be big business, and the latest Minecraft movie is yet another testament to that. Despite receiving harsh criticism from both critics and audiences, it had an incredible opening weekend at the box office and is now ranked among the most successful video game adaptations in cinema history.
The film industry has had a relatively slow year, with major releases like Captain America: New World and Mickey 17 failing to live up to expectations. In this context, the Minecraft movie served as a refreshing breath of air with its strong debut in theaters across the US and worldwide.
Minecraft Movie Rakes in Millions and Looks Set to Become a Success
After years of development and several creative changes, Minecraft: The Movie, as it’s known in Mexico and other regions, landed in cinemas on April 4th. Despite its mixed reviews, it dominated the box office both domestically and internationally.
Reports indicate that the film, starring Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Jack Black, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, and Danielle Brooks, exceeded expectations by grossing $10.55 million in the US during its preview night on Thursday, April 3rd.
This surpassed the debut of the highly successful Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, which earned $10.3 million in its preview day back in 2023.
Minecraft Movie Outperforms Five Nights at Freddy’s
The Minecraft movie, inspired by the Microsoft and Mojang franchise, maintained its momentum, grossing $57 million in the US on its opening Friday. Analysts had predicted it would gross between $70 million and $90 million over the weekend, but it exceeded all expectations.
By the end of the weekend, Minecraft: The Movie had raked in $157 million in the US alone. This made it the highest-grossing film debut of the year and also the biggest opening for a video game adaptation in US history, surpassing the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed $146.3 million in its opening weekend.
Additionally, the film made a strong impact in international markets, earning $144 million during its opening weekend. Its total worldwide gross is now estimated to be over $301 million.
Minecraft Movie Breaks Records Despite Negative Reviews
These are impressive figures, especially considering that the Minecraft movie had a production budget of $150 million, excluding marketing costs. It will be interesting to see whether the film maintains its strong performance in the coming weeks and potentially surpasses the total gross of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which ended its theater run with over $1.36 billion.
The success of this Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment project further demonstrates that a movie’s box office performance isn’t always directly tied to its critical reception. Despite mixed initial reactions, the harshest reviews came post-release.
As of now, the Minecraft movie holds a low score of 47 on Metacritic and a 52% approval rating.
Minecraft Movie Gets Terrible Reviews
Despite these impressive earnings, the film’s reviews have been overwhelmingly negative, with many criticizing its adaptation of the beloved game. The backlash has come as a surprise given its box office success.
Have you seen the movie? What did you think?
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