Move over, Mario. It’s Steve’s time to shine at the box office.
“A Minecraft Movie” shattered expectations at the box office this weekend, grossing a record-breaking $157 million domestically, according to estimates from Comscore. That represented the biggest three-day opening ever for a movie based on a video game at the domestic box office.
The record was previously held by another Jack Black film: “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which in 2023 grossed $146 million domestically over three days. “Mario” opened on a Wednesday due to the Easter holiday, so its total gross over the five-day weekend was $204 million. That film went on to gross more than $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing movie of 2023 after “Barbie.”
Starring Black and Jason Momoa, “A Minecraft Movie” brought the best-selling video game of all time to the big screen. But the same way “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” wasn’t a hit with critics, “Minecraft” earned mixed reviews, and the audience reception didn’t seem to be over the moon, either. Moviegoers surveyed by CinemaScore gave “Minecraft” an average grade of B+. For comparison, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” received an A grade.
A parent’s guide to ‘Minecraft’: Is Jack Black’s video game movie OK for little kids?
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But the box office success still represented another win for the genre of video game adaptations, which in recent years has produced several hits on the big and small screen. Three “Sonic the Hedgehog” films have performed well in theaters since 2020, and in 2023, the game “Five Nights at Freddy’s” spawned one of that year’s biggest hit horror movies. On the television side, games like “Fallout” and “The Last of Us” have been turned into critically acclaimed shows.
Many more video game adaptations are in the works, some of which could have potential to reach the same heights as “Mario” or “Minecraft.” A live-action film based on “The Legend of Zelda” is set for release in 2027, and Margot Robbie is reportedly working on a film based on “The Sims.” A sequel to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will debut in 2026.
“Minecraft” was also a much-needed win for the box office in general, which has gotten off to a slow start in 2025 with a dearth of blockbusters and several financial disappointments like “Snow White.”
