Can ‘A Minecraft Movie' Change The Tide For Video Game Adaptations?
A Minecraft Movie has surpassed $720 million in ticket sales globally. Currently, it is the second-highest-grossing film based on a video game, after 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed around $1.3 billion. The 2023 film based on the classic Nintendo game Super Mario isn't only the highest-grossing movie based on a game, but it is also the 15th highest-grossing film of all time.
However, historically, video game movies have not been box office. While A Minecraft Movie is the second-highest-grossing in the category, there is a significant drop-off when it comes to the third-highest-grossing, 2024's Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which made around $490 million. There are several video game movies with similar grosses; however, all of these films are from the 2010s and 2020s.
The first video game movies came from 1980s Japan. The first two cinematic video game adaptations were both Japanese animated films that premiered on the same day in 1986: Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! and Running Boy: Star Soldier no Himitsu. However, before the 2010s, video game adaptations rarely led to box office success. In the top 20 highest-grossing video game adaptations, only two are from before the 2010s: 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (which grossed approximately $275 million, ranking 15th) and Pokémon: The First Movie (which grossed around $173 million, ranking 20th).
Generally, video game movies were also not well-regarded by critics. Currently, the highest rated video game adaptation on Rotten Tomatoes is 2021's Werewolves Within at 86%, but it's a bit of an outlier (only one other video game movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, even breaks 80% on the site). While A Minecraft Movie currently sits at 48%, historically, this isn't bad for a video game adaptation. It is also notably doing much better with audiences (a score of 87%).
In the TV industry, video game adaptations have also gained audiences and critical praise with properties like The Last of Us and Fallout. However, the genre is also still establishing itself.
A Minecraft Movie thus feels like a turning point for video game adaptations. While the reviews could be higher, its strong box office speaks volumes. For the last 15 years, comic books have been the go-to IP for box office success. While there are outliers like Avatar or Titanic, the vast majority of the highest-grossing films are sequels or based on intellectual property (and often both). Four out of the top ten highest-grossing films come from comic books, specifically Marvel properties. However, Marvel hasn't been controlling the box office recently in the way it has historically. Comic book fatigue, boycotts and even just quality have affected recent releases for Marvel.
Can video game movies really be the next IP cash-cow? It remains to be seen, but A Minecraft Movie is a good first step. More data on this trend will be coming soon, as many video game properties are in the works. David F. Sandberg's Until Dawn releases April 25. 2025 will also see the release of Genki Kawamura's Exit 8 in August, Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat 2 in October and Emma Tammi's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 in December. More releases are scheduled for 2026 and 2027 and many projects are in production and development.
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