‘Minecraft’ opens with record-breaking $157 million domestic box office
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“A Minecraft Movie” injected some much-needed life into the slumbering box office with a record-breaking $157-million domestic opening and $144 million overseas.
The movie, starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black and Jennifer Coolidge, shattered expectations, doubling some pre-weekend estimates. It took the top slot for a video game adaptation, eclipsing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” launch in 2023, which grossed $146.4 million.
With no major tentpoles and few hits, local theater owners are feeling the pinch. So far, box office revenue is down 11% compared to the same period last year.
Based on the 2011 video game, the film has delivered a welcome hit for Warner Bros., giving the beleaguered studio the largest domestic opening of the year.
Produced with Legendary Pictures, the movie reportedly cost $150 million to make, excluding marketing expenses.
It is the first film of the year to gross over $100 million domestically.
“We’re absolutely overjoyed ‘A Minecraft Movie’ has been so warmly received by audiences around the world,” said Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy in a statement. He added that the 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.”
Last month, domestic box office generated just $410 million, according to Comscore.
Given its strong showing, “A Minecraft Movie,” could “knock some 7 to 8 percentage points off the year-to-date deficit that heading into the weekend was running 13% behind 2024 and will wind up at around a 5% year-to-date deficit through today,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
Warner Bros. film studio has seen a string of box office disappointments, including ‘Mickey 17’ and ‘The Alto Knights.’ Will its ambitious slate, including ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ turn around its prospects?
The Amazon-MGM action thriller “A Working Man,” starring Jason Statham, took in $7.2 million over the weekend, while Fathom Entertainment’s religious themed “The Chosen: The Last Supper,” (Season 5) Part 2, premiered this weekend, coming in third with a $7 million opening.
Disney’s live action “Snow White” continues to slide, with $6 million in receipts, its third weekend in theaters.
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