"Minecraft Movie" Boosts Hollywood Box Office with $301M Opening

Hollywood received a much-needed success this weekend as A Minecraft Movie stormed the box office, helping close this year’s gap with a massive debut. The film raked in an impressive $157 million in North America and an additional $144 million globally, bringing its total opening to $301 million. With spring break still in full swing, the movie’s box office run is far from over.

Few anticipated such a strong performance, as pre-release estimates had projected a $80 million debut. The film not only marked the biggest opening of 2025 so far, but it also set a new record for the highest-grossing debut of a video game adaptation, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $146 million launch.

“We’re thrilled that audiences are turning out and that cinemas are full,” said Pamela Abdy, co-chair and CEO of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.

Michael DeLuca, the other co-chair and CEO, added, “You can’t discount the appeal of heartfelt, fun, joyful cinema. Audiences are clearly craving escapism, especially when it’s something the whole family can enjoy.”

Adapted from the world’s best-selling video game, A Minecraft Movie faced the challenge of translating the game’s open-world, no-structured story into a narrative for the big screen. However, its massive fanbase, which includes 200 million active users, turned out in droves. The PG-rated film, directed by Jared Hess, follows a group of characters transported to a fantastical realm called the Overworld, where they embark on a perilous yet comedic journey to return home.

“Made for the fans, they’ve exceeded all our expectations,” said DeLuca.

Though critics offered mixed reviews, audiences gave the film a positive reception, awarding it a B+ CinemaScore and a 4-out-of-5 rating in exit polls. The movie performed exceptionally well across different theatres and markets worldwide, with 62% of its audience under the age of 25.

“It’s a prime example of a small-screen concept scaling up successfully to the big screen,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. "It became an unmissable cinema event.”

Video game adaptations have found new success in recent years with hits like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Five Nights at Freddy’s. "Once unpredictable, video game films have now found the formula," Dergarabedian noted.

In second place at the box office was the Jason Statham-led action film A Working Man, which earned $7.3 million in its second weekend, followed by The Chosen: Last Supper – Part 2 with $7 million. Snow White, which had been in first place in previous weeks, dropped to fourth, earning $6.1 million.

With a rough start to 2025, A Minecraft Movie has breathed new life into Hollywood's box office, narrowing the gap from a 13% decline earlier this year to just 5%. The success sets a promising tone for the upcoming summer movie season.

Top 10 Films – Domestic Box Office
(Comscore estimates, Friday-Sunday, U.S. and Canada):

    A Minecraft Movie – $157 million

    A Working Man – $7.3 million

    The Chosen: Last Supper – Part 2 – $7 million

    Snow White – $6.1 million

    The Woman in the Yard – $4.5 million

    Death of a Unicorn – $2.7 million

    The Chosen: Last Supper – Part 1 – $1.9 million

    Hell of a Summer – $1.8 million

    The Friend – $1.6 million

    Captain America: Brave New World – $1.4 million