Minecraft Movie Hits $550M, Creeps into Second Place Among Video Game Films

The Minecraft Movie just mined its way into film history. After only two weekends in theaters, it’s officially the second-highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time, pulling in over $550 million globally — and yes, that’s a lot of pixels.

The numbers break down to $280 million domestic and $269.6 million international, placing it right behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which still reigns supreme with its $1.3 billion total.

Part of what’s making the Minecraft Movie blow up isn't just nostalgia—it’s the way the film has turned into a kind of cultural mini-event. Between actual fan-favorite mobs showing up on-screen and massive fan participation, it feels like Minecraft's chaotic magic is finally captured in theaters. One standout? Reports of “popcorn melees” during screenings. We’re talking theaters covered in kernels, thanks to one particular mob-related scene. Regal Cinemas even leaned into the madness, announcing a special Chicken Jockey screening event on April 20, basically permitting fans to bring the same energy back.

It’s rare for a game movie to have this kind of audience involvement beyond just showing up. There’s cosplay, spontaneous chanting, and in some cases, audience-built redstone contraptions in the lobby (we're serious). This isn't just a successful launch — it’s a fandom celebration in full swing.

How It Ranks: The Box Office Breakdown

Top 5 Video Games Films based on the box office rate.

If the Minecraft movie keeps climbing, it could overtake Mario’s domestic haul — even if the billion-dollar crown stays firmly on the plumber’s head. Either way, this launch puts Minecraft in serious franchise territory. A sequel is already rumored, and with home video preorders open, the long tail of revenue is just getting started.

Why Did This Work? The Minecraft Formula, Adapted

Adapting Minecraft for the big screen was always going to be tricky. There’s no fixed story, no protagonist, and certainly no straightforward plot. But that’s where the film leaned in hard: instead of trying to replicate the game beat-for-beat, it built something more like a living world. Think of it as The LEGO Movie meets Into the Spider-Verse but with Creepers.

Fans praised the balance between slapstick chaos and genuine emotion, especially how the film nails the game’s existential weirdness: you mine, you build, you die, and then you do it all again. And it helps that the film reportedly contains one of the best Ender Dragon sequences ever put on screen.

Video Game Movies Are Getting Better (For Real This Time)

For years, gaming movies were punchlines. Prince of Persia? Doom? Resident Evil came close but rarely hit the right tone. It wasn’t until Detective Pikachu and Sonic that Hollywood really figured out how to balance fan service with watchability.

The Minecraft Movie continues that trend but pushes it further. It’s goofy without being dumb. It’s weirdly emotional without being melodramatic. And most importantly, it never talks down to its audience — a lesson that older adaptations often miss.

Now that it's sitting at the number two spot, Minecraft joins an elite club of films that prove game adaptations don’t have to be cursed. With Nintendo cooking more Mario content and Five Nights at Freddy’s scoring big, too, the video game cinematic universe is becoming less of a dream and more of an industry.

What's Next for Game Films?

There’s a massive pipeline of adaptations coming. Borderlands, Zelda, God of War, and even Among Us are all in various stages of production. If Minecraft keeps this momentum, expect to see Microsoft double down on more stories from the blocky universe.

If you missed it in theaters, preorders for the home release are already live — and you just know there’s going to be a Creeper-themed steelbook edition. No word yet if it explodes when opened.

Either way, we’re now living in a world where Minecraft has a cinematic universe. And honestly? That might be the most 2025 thing ever.