‘A Minecraft Movie’ achieves record-breaking box office feat after disastrous reviews

It opened to disaster reviews, but the star-studded new Minecraft movie has somehow managed a record-breaking box office feat for its opening weekend.

After receiving woeful reviews upon its Thursday release, it was predicted the new Minecraft movie would sensationally bomb at the box office.

But the game has only just begun for the $US150 million Warner Bros. film, which made a staggering $US301 million globally in its opening weekend.

That figure has seen the Jason Momoa-led adventure comedy break the record for the highest ever opening weekend for a video game adaptation, more than doubling the $US146.4 million The Super Mario Bros. Movie made in its first few days in cinemas back in 2023. The latter, based on the popular video game of the same name, went on to become a billion-dollar film ($US1.363 billion).

Jason Momoa stars in A Minecraft Movie. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

A Minecraft Movie is, so far, leading the pack for most successful 2025 releases, and is the biggest film to launch domestically (in the US) since Deadpool & Wolverine hit cinemas in July last year. The Marvel flick raked in $US211 million for its opening weekend, before going on to achieve a global total of $US$1.338 billion.

“We’re absolutely overjoyed A Minecraft Movie has been so warmly received by audiences around the world,” Warner Bros bosses Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca said in statement.

“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 film, co-starring Jack Black and Sebastian Hansen, is based off the beloved sandbox game launched in 2011. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

Based on the multibillion-dollar 2011 sandbox game, and with a big-ticket cast including Momoa, Jack Black and Jennifer Coolidge, A Minecraft Movie follows the quest of four misfits, Garrett ‘The Garbage Man’ Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) who find themselves trapped in the fictional Overworld.

Black’s character Steve, an expert crafter, comes along for the ride as they embark on the weird and wonderful challenges Minecraft is famous for, forced to tap into their individual creative potentials to come out the other side and return safely home.

Jack Black and Jason Momoa front the blockbuster. Picture: Scott A Garfitt/Invision

But critics were scathing in their reviews, with Daily Beast calling it an “absolute disaster gaming fans will hate”, while popular gaming and entertainment website Dexerto dubbed it “the worst film of 2025 so far.”

Discussing Film gave it a one-star rating with the headline, “Horrible in the Most Boring Way Possible.”

The Independent mustered a two-star rating, ultimately ruling the film was “underwhelming.”

A Minecraft Movie is in cinemas now

Originally published as ‘A Minecraft Movie’ achieves record-breaking box office feat after disastrous reviews