A Minecraft Movie beats Super Mario Bros. for biggest video game adaptation launch

Why it matters: A Minecraft Movie might not have won critical acclaim from reviewers, but it's certainly proving to be a hit with the general public. The film was a smash at the box office over the weekend, generating $157 million domestically and $144 million overseas for a total of $301 million – a new record opening for a video game adaptation.

The Jack Black and Jason Momoa-starring Minecraft movie was expected to earn around $150 million globally over its opening weekend, but it has managed to more than double that figure.

It also means that A Minecraft Movie has broken The Super Mario Bros. Movie's record for the best start ever for a video game adaptation. It earned $146.4 million during its three-day Easter weekend launch in 2023.

Super Mario Bros. went on to earn $500 million during its first week and $1.36 billion by the end of its box office run, so it'll be interesting to see how A Minecraft Movie compares. It's already 12th on the list of highest-grossing films based on video games (below).

Highest-grossing video game film adaptations

Rank Peak Title Based on video game(s) Original game publisher(s) Date Worldwide gross Distributor Format

1	1	The Super Mario Bros. Movie	Super Mario	Nintendo	April 5, 2023	$1,362,566,989	Universal Pictures	Animated
2	2	Sonic the Hedgehog 3	Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Adventure 2	Sega	December 20, 2024	$491,603,986	Paramount Pictures	Live-action/animated
3	1	Pokémon Detective Pikachu	Detective Pikachu and Pokémon	Nintendo, The Pokémon Company	May 10, 2019	$450,062,638	Warner Bros. Pictures	Live-action
4	1	Warcraft	Warcraft	Blizzard Entertainment	June 10, 2016	$439,048,914	Universal Pictures	Live-action
5	2	Rampage	Rampage	Midway Games	April 13, 2018	$428,028,233	Warner Bros. Pictures	Live-action
6	4	Uncharted	Uncharted	Sony Interactive Entertainment	February 18, 2022	$407,141,258	Sony Pictures Releasing	Live-action
7	4	Sonic the Hedgehog 2	Sonic the Hedgehog	Sega	April 8, 2022	$405,421,518	Paramount Pictures	Live-action/animated
8	2	The Angry Birds Movie	Angry Birds	Rovio Entertainment	May 20, 2016	$352,333,929	Sony Pictures Releasing	Animated
9	1	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Ubisoft	May 28, 2010	$336,365,676	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures	Live-action
10	6	Sonic the Hedgehog	Sonic the Hedgehog	Sega	February 14, 2020	$320,954,026	Paramount Pictures	Live-action/animated
11	4	Resident Evil: The Final Chapter	Resident Evil	Capcom	January 27, 2017	$312,257,250	Sony Pictures Releasing	Live-action
12	1	A Minecraft Movie	Minecraft	Mojang Studios	April 4th, 2025	$301,000,000	Warner Bros. Pictures	Live-action
13	2	Resident Evil: Afterlife	Resident Evil	Capcom	September 10, 2010	$300,228,084	Sony Pictures Releasing	Live-action
14	12	Five Nights at Freddy's	Five Nights at Freddy's	ScottGames	October 27, 2023	$297,144,130	Universal Pictures	Live-action
15	1	Lara Croft: Tomb Raider	Tomb Raider	Eidos Interactive	June 15, 2001	$274,703,340	Paramount Pictures	Live-action

The Hollywood Reporter also notes that A Minecraft Movie has not only had the best start of any film this year, but is the biggest domestic launch since Deadpool and Wolverine in July 2024, and the biggest in the history of Warners (not adjusted for inflation).

Warner Bros. Pictures CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy reacted to the news of the movie's success in a statement. "We're absolutely overjoyed A Minecraft Movie has been so warmly received by audiences around the world. A Minecraft Movie's decade-long journey to the screen was overseen with great care by WBP's Jesse Ehrman and his team, and we are thrilled their efforts have resulted in such a tremendous response."

The initial reviews of A Minecraft Movie last week were better than many expected, with the general consensus being it's pretty much okay – some outlets even went so far as to call it good. The public reaction appeared more positive, as illustrated by the successful box office figures.

As we wrote at the time, Minecraft isn't the first video game movie adaptation with less-than-glowing reviews to do well financially. The top ten highest-grossing films based on video games include Rampage ($428 million), Uncharted ($407 million), and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ($336 million), all of which received similar mixed reviews upon their release.