Latest news with #JaredHess
Pink Villa
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Box Office: A Minecraft Movie surpasses USD 925M globally, continues climbing despite digital release
Despite its recent digital debut, A Minecraft Movie continues to draw in global audiences, pushing its worldwide box office total to a staggering USD 929 million. Based on Mojang Studios' 2011 sandbox game, the fantasy adventure comedy has become the second-highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time, trailing only behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which remains the only title in the genre to surpass the USD 1 billion mark. Directed by Jared Hess and featuring a star-studded cast including Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Hansen, A Minecraft Movie follows a group of misfits who are transported into the blocky world of Minecraft. With the help of a seasoned in-game character named Steve, they must navigate the pixelated realm to return to reality. The film had a long and perilous development history. Warner Bros. Pictures began work on the adaptation in 2014, with multiple changes in creative leadership over the years. It wasn't until 2022 that the project gained renewed momentum, with Hess stepping in as director and Legendary Entertainment coming on board. Production took place in New Zealand, wrapping in early 2024. Released globally on April 4, 2025, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics but found a massive audience among families and fans of the game. The film's colorful animation, nostalgia-fueled humor, and action-packed quest resonated strongly with viewers, helping it gross the aforementioned worldwide total against a reported budget of USD 150 million. Now available on premium video-on-demand platforms such as Prime Video and Apple TV, the movie can be rented for USD 19.99 or purchased digitally for USD 24.99. Once rented, viewers have 30 days to begin watching and 48 hours to complete it once started. However, with its theatrical momentum slowing and a wide digital release now in place, A Minecraft Movie may ultimately fall short of the coveted billion-dollar milestone. While that means The Super Mario Bros. Movie will likely retain its crown as the top-earning video game adaptation for now, Minecraft has still proven itself a powerful force on the global theatrical stage. Regardless of whether it crosses the billion-dollar mark, the film's near-record run solidifies its place as one of 2025's biggest success stories and establishes a strong case for future game-to-screen endeavors.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
A Minecraft Movie: What we know about digital rental, purchase, streaming platforms, and DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release and preorders
The new film based on the Minecraft game is now ready for digital viewing. A Minecraft Movie can be rented or purchased through several platforms. A physical release is also planned. Digital Rental, Purchase and Streaming Platforms A Minecraft Movie is now offered for digital rental and purchase. Viewers can rent it for $19.99. They can also buy it for $24.99. The film is available on Prime Video, Apple TV and other video-on-demand platforms. This option lets users stream the movie at home without waiting for a physical copy. After renting the movie, users have 30 days to watch it. Once you start to watch, the movie must be completed within 48 hours. This gives viewers a flexible option for when they want to watch. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Tiger got separated from her zookeeper 5 Years Ago. See their reunion! Story To Hear Undo Also Read: Call of Duty Got Your Six Event: Here's start and end date, timings, duration and leaked rewards DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Steelbook Release The movie will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Steelbook. The release date is Tuesday, June 24. Prices for the physical formats start at $19.96. Walmart will carry all versions and will also offer a special Crafting Edition. This version is only available through Walmart and is not sold elsewhere. Live Events Preorders Customers can preorder the movie at Walmart and Amazon. Once the order is placed, buyers will receive an email with the shipping details. This message will include the expected delivery date. This makes it simple for fans to plan when they can watch the movie at home. Also Read: Final Destination Bloodlines: How to watch movie in theaters, online and streaming platforms? Story and Cast of Movie Directed by Jared Hess, the story features four people stuck inside the Minecraft world. They must learn how to survive in a block-based setting. They need to master skills to return home. The cast includes Jason Momoa , Jack Black , Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen and Jennifer Coolidge. FAQs What platforms offer A Minecraft Movie for digital viewing? Prime Video, Apple TV, and other platforms allow users to rent or buy the movie digitally. When will physical copies of the movie be available? DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K editions will release on June 24. Preorders are open now.
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘A Minecraft Movie' VFX Team Talk Characters, Comedy, And Much More
Last weekend I took you behind the scenes of director Jared Hess' A Minecraft Movie, as VFX Supervisor Sheldon Stopsack and Animation Supervisor Kevin Estey talked about their ambitious work on the film. This weekend, I continue with an even deeper dive into how Wētā FX helped bring the world and characters of Minecraft to the big screen. You can read my first article about Wētā FX's work on A Minecraft Movie here, in which Stopsack and Estey discuss Wētā FX's heavy lifting to help bring the unique world of Minecraft to life, seamlessly blending the game's blocky designs with live-action filmmaking. At nearly $880 million worldwide box office and going strong, A Minecraft Movie is on course to finish as one of the year's biggest blockbusters and could even top some of the summer's top tentpoles like Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, depending on how many more ticket sales Minecraft can stack up as it approaches $900 million. VFX character designs for "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX Wētā FX's detailed world-building was foundational for A Minecraft Movie. Stopsack explained, 'The question often comes up how our environments had an impact on the style and appearance of our characters. Ironically it was the other way around. Our characters had a strong influence on the environment. Particularly Malgosha and Dennis needed to create emotional connections with our cast. This was what in large part established how realistic or abstract we could go with the appearance and performance. We used this knowledge to apply to our environment to ensure that the digital character did not feel out of place." Their efforts resulted in the creation of the mindbogglingly expansive Overworld, combining 64 distinct terrains into a continuous environment for both day and night scenes. The vast digital landscape was shared with Digital Domain for the film's final battle. Stopsack highlighted the immense scale, saying, 'An interesting fun fact to illustrate the sheer scale we ended up with is our grass dressing. For the Overworld, we ended up placing more than 2 billion clumps of grass patches, comprised of individual grass blades.' VFX character designs for "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX When I asked if there were creatures or other aspects that presented specific challenges or were particularly fun, Estey offered extensive insights about animating the distinct characters. 'Each character and creature we created has a unique story and presented its own challenge, whether big or small,' Estey noted, 'because none are the same as the next. We ended up with 26 unique characters and creatures, each needing its own distinct personality, behavior, and style of motion.' VFX work for Malgosha in "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX Speaking about Malgosha, Estey remarked, "Malgosha was particularly unique as she didn't exist in the game but was a critical antagonist in the film. We were walking a fine line of introducing a new character to a community that knows the game, yet we had to ensure she still fit into the universe and would be accepted. Jared wanted all the characters in The Nether to look and feel as realistic and tangible as possible, yet still maintain an iconic blocky aesthetic so they could exist believably on screen alongside the actors." To achieve the right balance, Malgosha was given a fleshy, detailed appearance with jiggly jowls and a flowing cloak, but maintained a distinctive blockiness, combining realism with the iconic Minecraft look. He also noted a particularly fun part of the process involved some great physical comedy: "One of the most memorable scenes to work on from an animation and performance standpoint was the showdown between Steve and Malgosha, particularly the triple-knife gag. When I first read the script, I was immediately drawn to the ridiculous gimmick where Malgosha repeatedly tries to stab Steve with knives she insists she doesn't have. It was such an absurd yet hilarious concept that I couldn't wait to see how it would play out." VFX character designs for "A Minecraft Movie." Source: Wētā FX Creating Malgosha involved significant collaborative efforts, with motion-capture performer Allan Henry providing the physical performance and vocal inspiration. His humorous interactions with Jack Black, who portrayed Steve, significantly influenced Malgosha's animation. 'I've known Allan for almost 15 years," Estey started. "We've done endless motion capture sessions together since the early days of the first Hobbit films. Not only is he an incredible stunt performer and actor, but he's also one of the funniest people I've ever met. We're constantly cracking each other up on set, even though we do have to remind ourselves that we're there to get work done. You can imagine my excitement when I thought of the humor Allan would bring to this scene. Then, of course, there's Jack Black, someone I've been a massive fan of (I've even been known to belt out an occasional karaoke rendition of 'Tribute' or 'Wonderboy')." FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder He continued, 'To see Jack Black and Allan Henry — two people I hold in the highest regard for their comedic talent — bring this [triple-knife attack] scene to life on set was unforgettable. They ad-libbed plenty of new lines and had the entire crew in stitches with their performance. The two of them even came up with the idea for Malgosha to add the line, 'sneak attaaackk…,' on her final throw as she keeled over onto her face (Allan's physical humor knows no bounds). Jared would run the entire scene for each take to give them freedom to explore the humor, and at the end of every take, when Allan would be face-planted with his bum in the air and Jared would yell 'cut,' almost the entire crew of 100 people would burst out laughing. This happened on every take.' Estey recalled, 'Realizing the humor had been elevated beyond the script by these two comedians placed a great responsibility on us in animation—to make sure that the humor carried through to Malgosha's digital performance without anything getting lost in translation. When Rachel House then provided her vocal performance, we folded that into what Allan had established on set with Jack, along with what our animation department had developed for her unique style of motion and behavior.' 'Seeing the final scene come together and hearing people laugh and talk about its hilarity during screenings was an incredible payoff," Estey concluded. 'That kind of validation, where something you loved working on connects with the audience, is incredibly gratifying. For me, this was one of the most thrilling and satisfying scenes of the film to tackle." A Minecraft Movie is of course full of many more characters and creatures, from Dennis himself to the Piglins and Bee, and I'll continue speaking with Wētā FX when I review the home entertainment release of A Minecraft Movie – that's coming up, so stay tuned and check back soon!
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘A Minecraft Movie' Arrives On Digital Streaming This Week
Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in "A Minecraft Movie." The Jack Black and Jason Momoa blockbuster A Minecraft Movie is new on digital streaming with bonus features this week. Rated PG, A Minecraft Movie opened in theaters on April 4. An adaptation of iconic video game Minecraft from Mojang Studios, the summary for A Minecraft Movie reads, "Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn't just help you craft, it's essential to one's survival! Four misfits — Garrett 'The Garbage Man' Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) — find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. 'To get back home, they'll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.' Directed by Napoleon Dynamite filmmaker Jared Hess, A Minecraft Movie also stars Jennifer Coolidge and the voices of Hess, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Matt Berry. Per Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, A Minecraft Movie will arrive on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, May 13. The film will be available for digital purchase for $24.99. Since digital rental prices are typically $5 less than purchase prices, viewers can expect to rent A Minecraft Movie for $19.99 for 48 hours. A Minecraft Movie will be available on a variety of digital outlets, including AppleTV, Fandango at Home and Prime Video. A Minecraft Movie is the highest-grossing movie domestically and worldwide to date. Heading into the weekend, the film has earned $401 million domestically and $476.4 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $877.4 million against a $150 million budget before prints and advertising costs, per The Numbers. In addition to the film's box office success, A Minecraft Movie also spawned the "Chicken Jockey" craze in theaters, which sometimes got out of hand. In addition to the film, consumers who purchase A Minecraft Movie on digital streaming will have access to five bonus featurettes. Per a press release from Warner Bros. Discovery, the featurettes are: Building the World of Minecraft: Block Party — Production designer Grant Major's team brings Minecraft's Overworld to life with blocky textures, vibrant biomes, and square props. Through practical effects and digital art, they craft a cinematic Minecraft world! Creepers, Zombies, and Endermen Oh My! — Explore the unique mobs in A Minecraft Movie, including Creepers, Piglins, and Zombies. The featurette features live action looks and onscreen performances, with expert designers and artists contributing. Minecraft Movie: Block Beats — Music brings A Minecraft Movie to life! Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Danielle Brooks created fun tunes like 'I Feel Alive.' Fans will love behind-the-scenes clips and insights into the film's music. A Minecraft Movie: Pixel Pals – Jack Black and Jason Momoa pour boundless energy into A Minecraft Movie, from Jack's gaming breaks to Jason's wardrobe design. Their chemistry and behind-the-scenes fun bring joy to this film! Marlene + Nitwit — Marlene and Nitwit's quirky bond shines in this film! In this piece Nitwit, voiced by Matt Berry, narrates their wild journey, parodying My Name is Earl, with hilarious moments from Jennifer Coolidge. A Minecraft Movie arrives on PVOD on Tuesday.
Express Tribune
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
A sequel for early 2000's indie comedy 'Napoleon Dynamite' is reportedly in the works
A sequel to the beloved 2004 indie comedy Napoleon Dynamite is reportedly in the early stages of development at Searchlight, according to Matt Belloni of Puck. The original film, directed by Jared Hess, was an unexpected cult phenomenon, known for its deadpan style, offbeat humor, and complete disregard for traditional storytelling. It centered on an awkward teen in rural Idaho and, despite its modest $400,000 budget, managed to rake in $46 million worldwide, later achieving iconic status through DVD sales and streaming. While many have wondered if its unique charm could ever work again in today's cinematic landscape, it appears the creators are serious about giving it another go. Jared Hess, now fresh off directing the upcoming Minecraft movie, reportedly has the leverage to bring the sequel to life. And it seems the original cast is on board: Jon Heder, who starred as Napoleon, has made it clear he'd return—but only if Hess is attached. Efren Ramirez, who played Pedro, also said 'everyone wants a sequel,' and 'the door's not closed yet,' hinting at genuine interest in revisiting the characters. The original Napoleon Dynamite wasn't built to start a franchise, it felt more like a glorified student project that accidentally caught fire. Its appeal was strange, specific, and perfectly timed. Whether lightning can strike twice remains to be seen, but for now, it looks like Napoleon and Pedro might be preparing for one more shot at greatness.
