Record-Breaking Opening Weekend

'A Minecraft Movie' Shatters Expectations with Record-Breaking $163M Opening Weekend

Warner Bros. and Legendary's 'A Minecraft Movie' has delivered a stunning box office performance that few industry analysts predicted, exceeding initial tracking estimates by more than $100 million.

The video game adaptation opened to an extraordinary $163 million in North America, surpassing 'Barbie's' $162 million debut from last year and establishing a new record for video game-based films. This represents a phenomenal achievement for Warner Bros., marking their third-highest domestic opening of all time, behind only 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' ($169M) and 'Batman v Superman' ($166M).

The film has become a genuine cultural phenomenon, particularly among younger audiences. Reports describe middle school viewers transforming screenings into interactive experiences—dancing in aisles, shouting game references, and creating a 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'-like atmosphere. This enthusiastic audience participation has contributed to exceptional word-of-mouth promotion.

Global reception has been equally impressive, with worldwide earnings reaching $313.7 million. The success provides a significant boost to Warner Bros., which has faced financial challenges under David Zaslav's leadership.

For the film's stars, the opening represents personal milestones. Jack Black now claims his biggest opening weekend, surpassing his performance in 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie.' Jason Momoa records his second-highest opening and his best as a lead character.

Audience demographics reveal the film's broad appeal, with particularly strong turnout among viewers aged 13-24. The movie earned a B+ CinemaScore overall, but an A from viewers under 18, alongside an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Mike de Luca and Pam Abdy celebrated the achievement, acknowledging director Jared Hess, the cast, and the marketing team's efforts in transforming a project that spent a decade in development into a box office sensation.

With minimal competition in the coming weeks heading into Easter, 'A Minecraft Movie' is positioned for a potentially extended theatrical run, raising questions about whether it might approach the domestic totals of Warner Bros.' all-time leaders 'Barbie' ($636.2M) and 'The Dark Knight' ($534.9M).The box office saw a significant surge this weekend, with total earnings reaching an estimated $197 million for all movies, marking a 154% increase over the previous weekend's $77.5 million. This is also 130% higher than the same period last year, which followed Easter. Thanks to the success of "A Minecraft Movie," the gap between the 2025 and 2024 year-to-date box office totals has narrowed to -6%, from -11% last weekend, with the current total at $1.66 billion.

Audiences are going wild for "A Minecraft Movie," with many fans quoting Steve's character from the film at McDonald's drive-thrus while picking up their Minecraft Happy Meals. The promotional partnership with McDonald's has been a major factor in the movie's success.

Another notable performer this weekend is "The Chosen: The Last Supper (Season 5) Part 2" from Fathom. Following its impressive $11.7 million opening last weekend, it is expected to earn just under $7 million this weekend, after a $2.8 million Friday. It has been a while since a faith-based film has seen such strong numbers, especially considering the performance of similar films like "Sound of Freedom."

Neon's "Hell of a Summer" opened to an estimated $720k on Friday across 1,255 locations, leading to an estimated $1.7 million opening. However, the film received mixed reviews, with critics giving it a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences showing a 67% positive and 41% definite recommend. The audience demographics were 53% female, 43% aged 18-24, and diverse in ethnicity, with 49% Caucasian, 31% Latino and Hispanic, 9% Black, and 8% Asian. The movie performed best in the eastern and western regions, with the Regal Union Square in New York City leading with nearly $11k.

Here are the top-performing movies this weekend:

• "A Minecraft Movie" (WB/LEG) : 42,63 theaters, Friday $58 million, 3-day $135 million+/wk 1
  
• "A Working Man" (AMZ) : 3,262 theaters, Friday $1.98 million (-65%), 3-day $7.2 million (-53%), total $27.7 million/wk 2
  
• "The Chosen: The Last Supper Part 2" (FATH) : 2,408 theaters, Friday $2.8 million, 3-day $6.9 million/wk 1
  
• "Snow White" (DIS) : 3,750 (-450) theaters, Friday $1.5 million (-60%), 3-day $5.9 million (-58%), total $77.3 million/wk 3
  
• "Woman in the Yard" (UNI) : 2,845 (+3) theaters, Friday $1.32 million (-64%), 3-day $4.35 million (-54%), total $16.5 million/wk 2
  
• "Death of a Unicorn" (A24) : 2,995 (-55) theaters, Friday $764k, 3-day $2.4 million (-58%)/total $10.3 million, wk 2
  
• "The Chosen: The Last Supper – Part 1" (FATH) : 1,592 theaters (-643), Friday $539k (-89%) 3-day $2 million (-84%), total $18 million/wk 2
  
• "Hell of a Summer" (NEON) : 1,255 theaters, Friday $720k, 3-day $1.7 million/wk 1
  
• "Captain America" (DIS) : 2,380 (-520) theaters, Friday $375k (-50%), 3-day $1.4 million (-51%), total $199.1 million/wk 8
  
• "The Friend" (BST) : 1,237 (+1235) theaters, Friday $540k (+1371%) 3-day $1.35 million (+1896%), total $1.4 million/wk 2
  

Minecraft Movie Box Office Success

Warner Bros. Strikes Gold with 'A Minecraft Movie' Box Office Phenomenon

The box office landscape has dramatically shifted this weekend as Warner Bros. and Legendary's 'A Minecraft Movie' delivers a staggering performance that has industry insiders buzzing. The video game adaptation is crushing expectations with a projected weekend haul well above $100 million, with some analysts suggesting figures could reach $130+ million across its 4,263 theater footprint.

Friday alone generated approximately $50 million, including Thursday night's impressive $10.55 million preview showing. This performance establishes a new benchmark for video game adaptations, surpassing the previous preview record held by 'Five Nights at Freddy's.'

The film represents a significant victory for Warner Bros. co-chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who greenlit the current iteration of the project. Production president Jesse Ehrman deserves recognition for his long-term commitment to the property, which dates back to previous studio leadership under Toby Emmerich. Legendary Pictures also merits acknowledgment for successfully translating the beloved gaming phenomenon to the big screen.

The studio's sophisticated marketing approach appears to be paying dividends. Warner Bros. has implemented precision-targeted digital ticket promotions, a strategy previously employed successfully with films like 'The Meg' and 'Crazy Rich Asians.' This technique, combining social media metrics with distribution analytics, has helped drive nationwide attendance.

Audience response has been enthusiastic, with strong recommendation scores across demographics. Screen Engine/Comscore's PostTrak reveals particularly high marks from children under 12, who awarded the film 5 stars. The audience composition shows significant appeal to younger viewers, with 65% of attendees falling into the general audience category and 35% representing parents with children.

The film's social media presence has been equally impressive, boasting a combined reach of 772 million across platforms—exceeding typical family live-action benchmarks by 2.4 times. Star power from Jack Black (32.7 million followers), Jason Momoa (20.1 million), and Emma Myers (9.8 million) has amplified the film's digital footprint.

This blockbuster opening provides a welcome boost to the theatrical exhibition sector following an industry-wide commitment to theatrical releases showcased at the recent CinemaCon. Despite a challenging first quarter, studios demonstrated continued faith in the theatrical experience through elaborate presentations featuring trailers, celebrity appearances, and live performances.

The remainder of the weekend's top five features 'The Chosen: Last Supper – Part 2' ($7.2 million), 'A Working Man' ($6.8 million), 'Snow White' ($5.7 million), and 'The Woman in the Yard' ($3.7 million)—all significantly trailing the 'Minecraft' phenomenon that has decisively captured the box office crown.

A Minecraft Movie' Success

Warner Bros. and Legendary's latest film, 'A Minecraft Movie,' is set to make a significant splash at the box office, with early previews generating over $7 million. This strong start, beginning at 3 p.m., has led conservative projections to rise to $75 million or more for its opening weekend, a much-needed boost for the domestic box office, which is currently 11% behind 2024.

The movie, directed by Jared Hess and featuring a star-studded cast including Jason Moe, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, and Jennifer Coolidge, is already outpacing the preview numbers of previous video game adaptations. For instance, it has surpassed the preview earnings of all 'Sonic the Hedgehog' movies, which ranged from $3 million to $6.5 million.

While 'A Minecraft Movie' hasn't matched the $10.3 million in previews of Universal/Blumhouse’s 'Five Nights at Freddy’s' from October 2023, it benefits from a massive and dedicated fan base. The Minecraft game, developed by Mojang Studios, boasts 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players, making it a beloved title across generations.

Critics have given the film a mixed reception, with a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but this is unlikely to deter its enthusiastic fans who are expected to drive its success. In comparison, 'Five Nights at Freddy’s' had a 32% critic score but was well-received by audiences, earning an 86% audience score and an A- CinemaScore.

In other box office news, Neon’s 'Hell of a Summer,' co-written, co-directed, and co-starring Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, has been less successful. It earned $215,000 from previews starting at 7 p.m. and is projected to take in around $1 million. The film, which has a 58% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, received a 3-star rating from PostTrak exits and a 43% recommendation rate from viewers. The audience is primarily composed of Wolfhard's fans, with 55% being female and a 50-50 split between those under and over 25 years old.

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