Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

[brideck]

How is Minecraft playing every 15 minutes? Are they showing let’s plays of the game instead of the actual movie?

Because it's on 5 or 6 screens at every theater with staggered start times. All of the big tentpoles or would-be tentpoles open this way these days. Start times can be even closer together with this one because it's not very long (101 min).

 

[Casper Gutman]

All the true lovers of great cinema cheering on The Minecraft Movie.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

All the true lovers of great cinema cheering on The Minecraft Movie.

I have no interest, but it’s obviously not intended for me.

Anecdotally: young people who have seen it are giving it meh, but fun reviews. Official reviews are in the middle. It will be interesting to see what word-of-mouth does.

 

[Disney Irish]

Minecraft got a B+ Cinemascore, not good for a tentpole. Doesn’t bode well for its legs. So it’ll be interesting to watch this weekend and the weeks to come.

For those that care B+ is the same as Snow White got.

 

[DKampy]

Because it's on 5 or 6 screens at every theater with staggered start times.

Use to be my local theater…. Thank goodness they only have Minecraft on 2 screens… lots of variety at my go to theater this weekend…I hope this trend continues…. I have argued you do not need that many… 2 is fine for a blockbuster especially when one is on their huge Ultra screen auditorium

 

[Phroobar]

How is Minecraft playing every 15 minutes? Are they showing let’s plays of the game instead of the actual movie?

Multiple theaters in the multiplex. Most cities have them.

 

[brideck]

From BOReport, it looks like they're getting all of the young men that made Minions: The Rise of Gru an inexplicable hit.

To follow-up on the demographic observation... It's apparently fueled by trends on TikTok (much like Anyone But You and Minions) and, well, it doesn't sound like much fun to people who actually want to watch the movie.

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25067035.fareham-cinema-issue-warning-disruptive-tiktok-trend/

There's plenty of chatter about it on Reddit, etc. as well.

 

[FrontierSpirit]

Deadline: “Minecraft continues to play like a Rocky Horror Picture Show for middle schoolers.”

LATE NIGHT, SUNDAY AM UPDATE: Warner Bros/Legendary‘s A Minecraft Movie keeps on growing. Today was well north of $57M. This puts the 3-day at $145M, but don’t be surprised if Warners calls it higher tom’w AM and if this feature take of the Mojang game comes in as the best debut for a videogame pic, squashing Super Mario Bros Movie 3-day ($146.3M; remember that Illumination/Universal title bowed on a Wednesday).

‘A Minecraft Movie’ Mushrooms To $163M, Higher Than ‘Barbie’s Opening & Record For Video Game Pic As Warner Bros Brings Box Office Back – Update

Warner Bros/Legendary's A Minecraft Movie has opened at the U.S. and Canada to $163 million, beating the start for Barbie ($162M).

deadline.com

 

[TalkingHead]

Starting to wonder if Minecraft will cut into any May releases’ business.

Fwiw Moana was the last gigantic opening weekend, about 4-5 months ago.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Starting to wonder if Minecraft will cut into any May releases’ business.

Fwiw Moana was the last gigantic opening weekend, about 4-5 months ago.

Add Minecraft to the list of movies that proves they don't have to be released between May-July and Nov-Dec to succeed.

 

[FrontierSpirit]

Deadline: “Minecraft continues to play like a Rocky Horror Picture Show for middle schoolers.”

LATE NIGHT, SUNDAY AM UPDATE: Warner Bros/Legendary‘s A Minecraft Movie keeps on growing. Today was well north of $57M. This puts the 3-day at $145M, but don’t be surprised if Warners calls it higher tom’w AM and if this feature take of the Mojang game comes in as the best debut for a videogame pic, squashing Super Mario Bros Movie 3-day ($146.3M; remember that Illumination/Universal title bowed on a Wednesday).

‘A Minecraft Movie’ Mushrooms To $163M, Higher Than ‘Barbie’s Opening & Record For Video Game Pic As Warner Bros Brings Box Office Back – Update

Warner Bros/Legendary's A Minecraft Movie has opened at the U.S. and Canada to $163 million, beating the start for Barbie ($162M).

deadline.com

A Minecraft Movie’ At $157M A Record Opening For Videogame Pic, Toppling ‘Super Mario Bros’; Warner Bros Brings The Box Office Back Alive – Update​

‘A Minecraft Movie’ Mushrooms To $163M, Higher Than ‘Barbie’s Opening & Record For Video Game Pic As Warner Bros Brings Box Office Back – Update

Warner Bros/Legendary's A Minecraft Movie has opened at the U.S. and Canada to $163 million, beating the start for Barbie ($162M).

deadline.com

 

[TP2000]

Okay gang, watch that third step weekend, cause it's a doozy! First pass domestic box office is in for this weekend.

Snow White dropped down to 4th place, despite being in second place in theater count at 3,750. It came in behind Part 2 of The Last Supper, A Working Man, and Minecraft (and yes, I had to Google what Minecraft was).

It would now seem apparent that Snow White is going to struggle to get to $100 Million domestically, as the industry sources that @MoonRakerSCM has been quoting have been saying since last weekend. Definitely an Oof!

The Numbers - Weekend Box Office Chart for October 3, 2025

Weekend Domestic Box Office Chart for the weekend of October 3, 2025

thenumbers.com

 

[Chi84]

Add Minecraft to the list of movies that proves they don't have to be released between May-July and Nov-Dec to succeed.

Minecraft is super popular with kids. My grandkids didn't care about seeing Disney movies immediately (they love them, but watch them on Disney+), but 2 of them had to see Minecraft on opening weekend.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Add Minecraft to the list of movies that proves they don't have to be released between May-July and Nov-Dec to succeed.

Honestly…that model is completely outdated/backwards…I’m surprised Hollywood still adheres to it

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So I we talking about “cinema” today…instead of looking at clear cut cases of business success and failure?

I can never keep up

 

[TP2000]

Now that Snow White's box office trajectory is pretty much baked in, here's how that looks compared to the previous 5 live action remakes we've been comparing it to.

Snow White is going to be notably behind floppy Dumbo at this point, and well behind the previous example of misreading your audience with a massive budget, 2023's remake of The Little Mermaid. Adjusted for inflation, naturally.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Now that Snow White's box office trajectory is pretty much baked in, here's how that looks compared to the previous 5 live action remakes we've been comparing it to.

Snow White is going to be notably behind floppy Dumbo at this point, and well behind the previous example of misreading your audience with a massive budget, 2023's remake of The Little Mermaid. Adjusted for inflation, naturally.

View attachment 852058

It will all change when Bob announces another “emergency” contract extension this week…because insanity has not yet been defined

 

[Casper Gutman]

Get ready for the rise of “meme movies.”

All those cinephiles who thought superhero cinema was the worst it could get…

 

[TP2000]

Whenever there are calls for some sort of impropriety on screen counts… what product exactly are they supposed to be shoving in there?

I don't think there's impropriety, I just think the theater chains must be mad they are locked into contracts with the big studios like Disney where they have to keep carrying their bombs in thousands of theaters for at least several weeks.

I'd imagine on weekends like this, the theater chains would love more flexibility to respond to the free market. If you've got one movie (Minecraft) that is packing 4,263 theaters and selling $36,829 in tickets per theater, while another movie (Snow White) is hogging 3,750 theaters but only selling $1,623 in tickets per theater, that's got to be infuriating for the struggling theater chains.

They'd likely love the ability to give Minecraft at least another 1,000 theaters and prime showings and its associated snack bar sales, while pushing Snow White down into the 2,000 theater rage and the rung of small theaters in the back of the multiplex.

They are desperate for product, even if that product is Snow White.

They would still be able to offer Snow White to it's rapidly dwindling audience on its third weekend. But being forced to keep it in 3,750 mostly empty theaters by Disney's! contract must really tick them off.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Get ready for the rise of “meme movies.”

All those cinephiles who thought superhero cinema was the worst it could get…

So you’re doubling down that this is about “cinema”…not dollars then?

Maybe we can meet at Starbucks and discuss it in the presence of “independent craft coffee brewers”?