The domestic box office is witnessing a stellar performance from Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “A Minecraft Movie” as it continues to reign supreme in its second weekend.
Although the film was projected to lead the charts again, it faces competition from several new releases, particularly Angel Studios’ animated biblical film, “The King of Kings,” which is anticipated to secure the second position at the domestic box office.
On its second Friday, “A Minecraft Movie” stacked up another impressive $20.5 million and is expected to earn over $80 million by the end of the weekend.
This impressive total would mark the third-largest weekend gross of the year, following its own sensational $162 million opening and just behind the $88 million debut of Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World.”
Despite projecting a drop of around 50%, “Minecraft” is unlikely to match the remarkable hold demonstrated by fellow video game adaptation, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which saw only a 36% second-weekend fall, or Warner’s other hit, “Barbie,” with a 42% slip.
However, its strong staying power reveals that “Minecraft” has transcended its built-in fanbase, attracting a broader audience that purchased tickets during its opening weekend.
Remarkably, it took just seven days for “A Minecraft Movie” to surpass a $200 million domestic gross, solidifying its position as the year’s top-grossing North American release.
The question now becomes how high it can rise.
In the midst of this success, Angel Studios’ animated film “The King of Kings” is establishing itself as a solid competitor for family audiences, currently projected for a second-place finish on the domestic charts.
This Korea-produced feature, loosely based on Charles Dickens’ “The Life of Our Lord,” earned around $6.8 million across Friday and preview screenings from over 3,200 locations.
To encourage family attendance, Angel Studios has introduced a “Kids Go Free” initiative, enabling children to enter at no cost with the purchase of one adult ticket.
Competition estimates suggest that “The King of Kings” is on track for an opening around $18 million.
If it outperforms expectations, it may even achieve the biggest opening ever for independent distributor Angel Studios, which previously made waves with the R-rated human trafficking thriller “Sound of Freedom” in July 2023, debuting at $19 million before eventually grossing an astonishing $184 million.
This impressive box office figure out performed several major Hollywood summer blockbusters, including “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning.”
In the two years since, Angel has had a quieter presence in theaters, mainly releasing modest dramas with faith-based themes.
Their subsequent hit, “Homestead,” which premiered last December, earned $20 million domestically and left its audience anticipating a television sequel series for Angel’s streaming service.
With “King of Kings” poised to surpass traditional studio releases, the animated feature is likely to become Angel’s second-biggest hit in just a few days, especially with the upcoming Easter holiday expected to boost its business.
The film features an impressive voice cast, including Oscar Isaac as Jesus Christ, alongside other big names such as Pierce Brosnan, Mark Hamill, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, Kenneth Branagh, and Uma Thurman.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, Angel Studios often resonates with its target audience, and the pristine “A+” grade from Cinema Score indicates that they have successfully connected with viewers once again.
Among the other new releases, the revenge thriller “The Amateur,” starring Rami Malek, is attracting the largest audience, having earned $6 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,400 locations.
The Disney release, which falls under the 20th Century Studios banner, is now projected to surpass $15 million over the weekend.
Directed by James Hawes, this PG-13 vigilante film comes with a hefty production cost of $60 million and will need a sustained run in theaters to recover its budget.
While reviews have been mixed, audience response is slightly more favorable, with a “B+” grade from Cinema Score.
Currently, the race for fourth and fifth place is closely contested, but the real-time Iraq thriller “Warfare” appears to be slightly ahead, earning approximately $3.5 million across Friday and preview screenings from 2,670 theaters, with an estimated $8 million debut.
The R-rated military ensemble piece marks Alex Garland’s return to A24, hoping to replicate the success of last year’s breakout hit, “Civil War.”
Co-directed by veteran Ray Mendoza, “Warfare” is relatively budget-friendly compared to most studio films, despite being on the pricier side by A24 standards.
The indie production seeks to transform stellar reviews and positive audience sentiment, highlighted by an “A-” grade from Cinema Score, into a prosperous theatrical run.
Meanwhile, Universal’s suspense thriller “Drop” isn’t trailing far behind, collecting $3.3 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,085 locations, and aiming for a $7.7 million opening.
This PG-13 Blumhouse production features a first date gone awry, pairing “White Lotus” breakout Meghann Fahy with “It Ends With Us” star Brandon Sklenar, and comes with a production cost of $11 million.
The film aims to leverage positive reviews to strengthen its box office.
Cinema Score provided a more tempered “B” grade among moviegoers for this Christopher Landon-directed feature.
Just outside the top five, Fathom Events is premiering its third and final package of episodes for “The Chosen: Last Supper” this weekend, which amassed $2.5 million across Friday and previews.
This final batch includes Episodes 7-8 of Season 5 of 5&2 Studios’ Biblical adaptation, with the first two bundles having already collectively earned over $28 million in recent weeks.
image source from：https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/box-office-minecraft-already-king-of-kings-1236367413/
