“A Minecraft Movie” is barreling toward the $1 billion mark with global ticket sales at $720 million after three weekends of release.
The Warner Bros. PG blockbuster, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, added another $59 million internationally and a massive $100 million globally over the Easter holiday weekend. Now, “Minecraft” has generated $376.2 million overseas and $720.8 million worldwide to date. It’s already Hollywood’s highest grossing film of the year, and at this pace, “Minecraft” is poised to be the first to join the billion-dollar club.
Meanwhile, “Sinners,” a vampire thriller from “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan, opened to $15.6 million overseas from 71 markets. The film was far bigger in the U.S. and Canada, topping the box office with $45.6 million. In all, “Sinners” has amassed $61 million in its global debut. It’s a great result for an original, R-rated horror film that takes place in the 1930s, yet the Warner Bros. release has an eye-popping $90 million price tag before global marketing expenses, so profitability remains a ways away.
In terms of international markets, turnout was best in the United Kingdom with $3.2 million, followed by France with $2 million and Mexico with $1.1 million. Imax, one of the several premium large formats that were popular among initial ticket buyers, accounted for $2 million of international box office revenues.
Jordan plays identical twins Smoke and Stack in “Sinners,” which follows the brothers as they return home to the South and open a juke joint. Business is booming… until vampires descend on the small town. Reviews and audience scores for “Sinners” have been excellent as well — the film boasts a near-perfect 98% average on Rotten Tomatoes — which bodes well for word of mouth.
Thanks to “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sinners,” Warner Bros. secured the No. 1 and 2 spots at the international, domestic and global box office. It’s a promising reversal in fortunes for the studio after the consecutive commercial misfires of Robert De Niro’s “The Alto Knights” and Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson’s “Mickey 17.”
