Not even the most optimistic projections for Warner Bros./Legendary’s “A Minecraft Movie” had it on the threshold of a bigger opening weekend than “Barbie,” but that is where we are as it has set a new video game adaptation record with a breathtaking $157 million from 4,269 theaters.
After weeks of poor turnout at movie theaters and the worst March box office outside the pandemic since the 1990s, “Minecraft” has had the same drought-busting effect on the marketplace that Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” had last summer. By the end of the weekend, the year-to-date box office total is expected to go from 11% down year-over-year to 6% and should continue to shrink with an April market that will be far more robust than last year’s.
If “Minecraft” overperforms in Sunday matinees, it could top the $162 million 3-day opening of “Barbie” back in July 2023, having already joined the top 5 highest opening weekends before inflation adjustment for Warner Bros. It has also passed the $146.3 million 3-day opening of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” for the largest opening weekend ever by a video game film.
“A Minecraft Movie” carries a reported $150 million budget, with 75% footed by Warner Bros. and the rest by Legendary. That is a flip in the production budget share for Warner and Legendary’s 2024 hit “Dune: Part Two,” but nonetheless continues what has been a fruitful partnership between the two studios.
It also establishes “Minecraft” as another addition to Warner’s IP stable alongside Legendary’s MonsterVerse and DC Studios, which is soon to relaunch with this summer’s “Superman.”
What’s particularly interesting is that audience reception, while still positive, isn’t as strong as “Mario” or other recent family hits. CinemaScore grades came in at a B+ — usually a warning sign for family films since kids and parents usually give top marks — while PostTrak came in at 65% definite recommend and the audience Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 87%.
On social media, the general consensus is that “Minecraft” benefits from seeing it in a theater, with kids and gamers cheering as Jack Black makes one reference after another to the memes created by the game’s fans over the years. With two more weekends until Easter and many kids on school break during that time, we will see how much of the “Minecraft” fan base is still untapped and how much appetite there is for repeat screenings.
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