‘A Minecraft Movie’ shatters record with $157 million opening
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows, from left, Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in a scene from “A Minecraft Movie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
LOS ANGELES – “A Minecraft Movie” caused an earthquake at the box office this weekend, grossing $157 million in the best-ever opening for a film based on a video game, injecting some life into what had been a dreary year for theaters.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows a scene from “A Minecraft Movie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The Warner Bros.’ film, which stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa and was directed by Jared Hess, topped the $146 million opening of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in 2023. It is by far the biggest opening of any film so far in 2025.
Minecraft is the world’s top-selling video game.
The Jason Statham action picture “A Working Man” claimed second place with $7.2 million Friday through Sunday in the United States and Canada, one week after opening in first place, Comscore reported.
Third place went to “The Chosen: The Last Supper — Season 5, Part Two,” which grossed $7 million in its first weekend in theaters. The multi-season television series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth has been hauling in better-than-expected grosses in its big-screen showings.
“Snow White” slipped to fourth place with $6 million in its third week, cementing its status as a major bomb. Disney’s big-budget, live action remake of its beloved 1937 classic was plagued by controversy for years preceding its release.
Star Rachel Zegler ignited criticism in 2022 by assailing what she characterized as the original’s dated depiction of gender roles. Reviews have also been brutal, with critics and viewers slamming the film’s special effects and the performance of Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen.
Blumhouse’s horror film “The Woman in the Yard” opened with $4.5 million for fifth place.
Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Death of a Unicorn” ($2.69 million), “The Chosen: The Last Supper — Season 5, Part One” ($1.87 million), “Hell of a Summer” ($1.75 million), “The Friend” ($1.6 million) and “Captain America: Brave New World” ($1.39 million).
This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $196 million. The year-to-date total is $1.671 billion — down 5.27 percent from the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore. (CNS)
