A Minecraft Movie—the film adaptation of the video game—has become the highest-grossing video game movie adaptation ever in Australia.
Locally A Minecraft Movie delivered 710,000 admissions over its Thursday to Sunday opening weekend, demonstrating its broad appeal across both families and Gen Z, with 33 per cent of the first weekend’s audience coming from the hard-to-reach P14-24 demographic.
At the box office, the film earned $13.7 million, marking the biggest opening for a film since Deadpool & Wolverine, which was released in July last year. This record-breaking debut crowned A Minecraft Movie as the highest-grossing opening for a video game film in Australia overtaking The Super Mario Bros. and also cemented its place as the third-biggest PG film opening in history, behind only Barbie and The Lion King.
A Minecraft Movie’s global opening also shattered records worldwide, grossing an impressive US$301 million (AU$500 million).
“As one of the world’s most iconic video games, A Minecraft Movie has delivered a record-breaking blockbuster opening, with strong momentum set to carry through the Easter school holidays, said Guy Burbidge, MD of Val Morgan Cinema.
“Minecraft is one of the few IPs that was born alongside Gen Z, it’s grown with them and is a staple of their generation, and this colossal opening is a clear reminder of the power and value Cinema has in reaching younger audiences. Our latest research with Kantar shows that Cinema holds the highest advertising equity with this demographic, making it a crucial space for brands looking to connect and build positive perceptions. He added “The excitement generated by the release has also created an in-cinema viral moment around the world, cementing the movie into culture, it shows why brands should be looking to Cinema—to connect with audiences and engage in the conversation as it unfolds.”
Looking ahead, there is no shortage of titles and strong IP for brands to align with across 2025.
Mission Impossible 8, How To Train Your Dragon and F1 releasing in May and June, are expected to follow in the footsteps of A Minecraft Movie, resonating with both younger generations and family audiences through their beloved franchise and fanbases.
“In addition to these highly anticipated releases, other blockbusters, including Jurassic World: Rebirth and Superman, both launch in July. We know these films have the star power and iconic IP to appeal to everyone, making them prime opportunities for brands to reach diverse audience demographics at scale,” said Burbidge.
