[UPDATE 2] A Minecraft Movie has exceeded expectations, earning $157 million in the US during its opening weekend and a cumulative total of $301 million worldwide. This marks the largest opening weekend ever for a video game film, surpassing even The Super Mario Bros. Movie. That film concluded its run with $1.3 billion globally, so it will be fascinating to see how A Minecraft Movie performs by the end of its theatrical run. Initial forecasts for A Minecraft Movie suggested it would earn around $60 million in the US during its opening weekend, so these figures are quite favorable compared to expectations.
“We’re incredibly thrilled that A Minecraft Movie has been embraced by audiences globally, and we congratulate Jared Hess and his filmmaking team, along with Legendary, Vertigo, Mojang, and our outstanding cast led by Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen, Danielle Brooks, and Jennifer Coolidge for making this film a must-see for viewers of all ages,” stated Warner Bros. executives Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy in a statement to Deadline.
After just three days, A Minecraft Movie has become the No. 12 highest-grossing video game film in history.
[UPDATE] A Minecraft Movie generated $57 million in the US on its opening Friday—marking the highest earnings for any video game film on its inaugural Friday. This even surpasses The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s first Friday earnings of $54.8 million. However, it’s noteworthy that The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiered on a Wednesday in 2023, which complicates the comparison.
Nevertheless, Deadline reports that A Minecraft Movie is projected to earn $145 million over its first weekend in the US—combining Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—which would compare to $146.3 million for The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s total earnings from Friday to Sunday in 2023. Again, it’s essential to note that The Super Mario Bros. Movie actually opened on a Wednesday.
Only three previous films that released in April have had a more successful Friday than A Minecraft Movie in the US: these are Avengers: Endgame ($157.4 million), Avengers: Infinity War ($106.3 million), and Furious 7 ($67.4 million).
Keep checking back with GameSpot for additional updates on the performance of A Minecraft Movie at the box office.
The original story follows below.
The initial box office figures for A Minecraft Movie have surfaced, with the Warner Bros. video game adaptation generating $10.55 million domestically during its Thursday previews.
In comparison, the video game movie Five Nights at Freddy’s generated $10.3 million in the US for its previews, while The Super Mario Bros. Movie raked in $26.5 million.
Variety provided these figures and noted that A Minecraft Movie is expected to earn between $70 million and $80 million over its opening weekend in the US. In contrast, Warner Bros. is estimating a more conservative projection of $65 million. Some estimates, according to Variety, are putting A Minecraft Movie at $90 million for its first weekend.
Another point of reference is Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which earned $60 million in the US.