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There are no fail-safe formulas in Hollywood, but this one comes close: Take an established yet underexploited (or musty) cultural property — preferably one that stirs strong feelings of nostalgia among young adults — and add stars playing to type, abundant visual effects and a savvy marketing campaign that makes core fans feel appreciated. It’s difficult to pull off, but Legendary Entertainment has done it repeatedly. The most recent example came over the weekend with “A Minecraft Movie,” which was made in partnership with Warner Bros. The film sold an astounding $163 million in tickets in North America from Friday through Sunday, according to Warner Bros., which distributed the film in addition to co-producing it.
Before release, citing advance ticket sales and surveys that track consumer interest, analysts had projected a domestic opening weekend of closer to $80 million. “It’s an absolute blast to see moviegoers around the world coming together to celebrate their love for Minecraft,” Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, said in a statement.
The film cost $150 million to make, not including global marketing costs. Warner Bros. covered 75 percent of the budget. Legendary, which is independently owned, shouldered the balance. Reviews were mixed.
Hollywood in general, and Warner Bros. in particular, badly needed a hit. Box office revenue in the United States and Canada fell 11 percent in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2024, in part because of major flops like “Snow White” (Disney) and “Mickey 17” (Warner Bros.).
Warner Bros. found a blockbuster in September with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” But its performance since then has been dismal, with a gangster movie championed by David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, flatlining last month. Several of the company’s coming films are seen as risks by some theater owners and Warner Bros. Discovery investors, including “Sinners,” a $90 million original, R-rated horror thriller set in the 1930s. It arrives on April 18.
Strong ticket sales for “A Minecraft Movie” could give the embattled executives some breathing room. Ms. Abdy and Mr. De Luca pushed the project into production and oversaw its completion. Warner Bros. also arranged for a major marketing partnership with McDonald’s that generated widespread conversation on TikTok, a platform that has become a crucial seat-filling tool for studios and theaters.
But credit for “A Minecraft Movie” also belongs to Legendary. After struggling for years to come up with the right director, story, structure and tone, Warner Bros. brought on Legendary as a “Minecraft” partner in 2019. A clock was ticking: Microsoft, which owns Mojang, the company behind the game, was growing impatient. In addition to financing, Legendary offered producing prowess.
Mary Parent, Legendary’s vice chairman, ousted the film’s director, Peter Sollett, and helped recruit Jared Hess, known for instilling films like “Nacho Libre” and “Napoleon Dynamite” with awkward humor, as his replacement. Mr. Momoa and the madcap Mr. Black joined the cast. “Mary and her team reimagined the take, brought on Jared and developed a movie that honors the fans while still being accessible for the general audience,” Josh Grode, Legendary’s chief executive, said in a statement. “This is a great win for Warner Bros., for Legendary and the theatrical box office.”
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