- A Minecraft Movie hits cinemas this week
- The film stars Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Danielle Brooks
- Fans are wondering how much the movie cost to make
Jack Black returns to cinemas this week in another video game adaptation although fans are wondering about the A Minecraft Movie budget.
Directed by Jarred Hess, the film reunites Black with his Nacho Libre collaborator. However, unlike that relatively small indie-comedy, the pair’s new project comes with the healthy budget you might expect from a big-screen translation of a popular video game title.
Read more: Wait… is A Minecraft Movie a musical?
In it, Black plays Steve, a guy who grew up obsessed with mines and mining. One day, his mining dreams hit the jackpot when he discovers a portal that transports him to the Overworld.
In this colorful realm, anything you can dream can be constructed… as long as it’s made from cuboid shapes.
Read more: Fans praise A Minecraft Movie Enderman design
The film co-stars Fast X star Jason Momoa sporting a pink jacket and a flowing haircut. Elsewhere, the film also features appearances from Orange is the New Black actor Danielle Brooks and Wednesday actress Emma Myers.
A Minecraft Movie also features the vocal talents of comedians like Jemaine Clement, Matt Berry and Saturday Night Live graduate Kate McKinnon.
However, despite all this vibrant, world-building escapism – most people online are wondering about the A Minecraft Movie budget. Here’s what we know about how much it cost to make…
A Minecraft Movie budget – what did it cost?
For a kids film, A Minecraft Movie had a pretty lofty budget, clocking in at around $150 million according to many online sources. This means the film has to make at least $150 million – and likely more – in order to break even and be considered a box office success.
For reference, Black’s other recent video game adaptation, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, had a budget of $100 million. While undeniably high, the gamble from Nintendo, Universal Pictures and Illumination paid off in droves, with the film ultimately raking in around $1.37 billion worldwide in box office receipts.
While many news stories like to predict doom and gloom on projects with huge price tags (remember Joker Folie a Deux, anyone?), things are actually looking quite promising for A Minecraft Movie.
According to ticketing site Fandango, A Minecraft Movie is now the service’s best ticket pre-seller for the PG-rated film demographic. That means it’s pocketed more pre-release cash than Paddington in Peru, Snow White and Dog Man.
Meanwhile, Deadline predicts that the film will open with an initial haul of around $60 million.
What does this mean?
Well, it’s posetive news for A Minecraft Movie.
If the film does enjoy a $60 million opening weekend, it’ll already be well on its way to recouping its initial cost. If it does, it could mean that we end up seeing more Minecraft Movie’s later down the line. After all, if it’s a success and fans want to see it – why wouldn’t Warner Bros make another?
While The Super Mario Bros. Movie was clearly very popular with young audiences, other video game adaptations haven’t been so lucky. Director Eli Roth’s Borderlands movie (which also featured Black) had a budget of around $110 – £120 million but only ended up making around $33 million at the box office.
It goes without saying that it’s unlikely that we’ll end up seeing a Borderlands 2 anytime soon.
