“A Minecraft Movie” landed on the big screen as an instant (and surprise) blockbuster smash with $301 million globally, providing Hollywood and cinema owners with a much-needed box office boost.

After three days of release, it’s already the second-highest grossing film of the year behind Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($410 million after eight weeks on the big screen). “Minecraft,” a PG action comedy from Warner Bros. and Legendary, will surpass those ticket sales to rank as No. 1 in a matter of days.

Among other benchmarks, “A Minecraft Movie” scored the second-biggest international debut for a video game adaptation after Universal and Illumination’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie.” That film, which opened in 2023, scored $173 million overseas and $377 million globally over Easter weekend before ending its theatrical run with a mighty $1.3 billion.

A huge relief for Warner Bros. and Hollywood, “A Minecraft Movie” shattered expectations with $144 million internationally from 40,300 screens across 68 territories, as well as $157 million at the domestic box office. Heading into the weekend, the $150 million movie, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, was projected to earn $65 million internationally and $70 million to $80 million domestically.

Directed by Jared Hess, the story follows four misfits who are sucked through a portal into a cubic world. Released in 2011, “Minecraft” has become one of the most popular video game properties in the world. That global recognition, plus pent-up demand for a family film and word-of-mouth that ignited on social media, helped power ticket sales to stratospheric heights.

Outside of the U.S. and Canada, the biggest markets for “Minecraft” were the United Kingdom with $19.9 million, China with $14.5 million, Mexico with $11.2 million and Germany with $10.6 million. “Minecraft” has been one of the few recent Hollywood blockbusters that hasn’t flopped China, already ranking as the the biggest non-local film of 2025 as well as the country’s highest-grossing video game adaptation of the past five years over “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Uncharted” and “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

“A Minecraft Movie” should reinvigorate the box office after a lousy start to 2025, with disappointments that range from franchise fare such as “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Snow White” to original swings like “Mickey 17” and “The Alto Knights.” Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” looks to kick off summer blockbuster season in May with “Superman,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “Lilo & Stitch” among the other Hollywood offerings that hope to keep shrinking this year’s box office deficit.

“A great release date and all-important PG-rating for ‘Minecraft’ have been powering some of the best box office numbers of the year,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “This has been a pivotal weekend for the industry that sets the stage for a massive comeback for movie theaters.”