'Minecraft Movie' strikes gold to dominate N.America box office

Warner Bros. new video game-based film "A Minecraft Movie" smashed records in its opening weekend in North American theaters, digging up an estimated $157 million in ticket sales, analysts said Sunday.

That total for the film, made along with Legendary Pictures and starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Jennifer Coolidge, far surpassed expectations, making it the year's biggest domestic release.

It was also the most successful adaptation ever from a video game, bettering the $146 million opening of 2023's "Super Mario Bros. Movie."

With $144 million in overseas ticket sales, film's estimated $301 million take more than doubled its non-paltry $150 million production budget, Variety reported, crediting in part the huge popularity of the video game, which has sold more than 300 million copies.

"The domestic box office has been asleep in 2025, and this is an overdue wakeup," said analyst David A. Gross.

He said the film had remarkable cross-generation appeal and that while reviews were "not good, these pictures are made for moviegoers, not critics."

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In a very distant second place for the Friday-through-Sunday period was MGM's "A Working Man," an action thriller starring Jason Statham, at $7.3 million.

In third, at $6.7 million, was "The Chosen: Last Supper Part 2," the latest episode in a faith-based series about Jesus and his disciples from Fathom Events.

Fourth place went to "Snow White," at $6.1 million. Made for an estimated $250 million, the film's domestic total of just $77.4 million in three weeks out, coupled with $90 million in sales overseas, is considered a major disappointment for Disney.

And Universal's horror film "The Woman in the Yard," starring Danielle Deadwyler, placed fifth, at $4.5 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Death of a Unicorn" ($2.7 million)

"The Chosen: Last Supper Part 1" ($1.9 million)

"Hell of a Summer" ($1.8 million)

"The Friend" ($1.6 million)

"Captain America: Brave New World" ($1.4 million)

Source: AFP