A Minecraft Movie has defied its poor critical reception and gone on to enjoy the biggest opening of 2025 so far.
- READ MORE: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ review: blockhead video game adaptation needs shaping up
Opening last Friday (April 4), the film grossed $301million worldwide, the biggest opening weekend since Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine last July. The family adventure, starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black, was an adaptation of the popular video game and told the story of four misfits dragged into the magical Overworld, where they are led by an expert crafter named Steve (Black) on a quest.
It’s a refreshing win for this year’s box office, which has seen a number of high-profile flops in the opening few months. Some of those, such as Disney’s remake of Snow White and Robert De Niro drama The Alto Knights, were hampered by bad reviews. However, despite having a similar response from critics, A Minecraft Movie has gone on to find success with audiences.
It currently stands at a “rotten” 48 per cent score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. NME’s review said of the film: “Unfortunately, A Minecraft Movie feels more like an advert for the game rather than a celebration of what makes it great”.
It continued: “There is just enough in the brisk 101-minute runtime to inspire newcomers to check out The Overworld for themselves but you’d think a film about the awesome power of creativity would be a bit more innovative”.
Other critics concurred, with Empire describing it as a “hot pink mess of a movie”, while Dexerto described it as “incredibly weird to watch”.
Cinema audiences are having different reactions, however, with many fans recording the reaction to the famous “chicken jockey” character appearing on-screen. The response was so rowdy, that one cinema put up a sign asking patrons not to throw popcorn at the screens.
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