A MINECRAFT movie opens with a strong second weekend. king of kings' shatters box office records for Angle studios

Weekend Box Office Reignited by “Minecraft” and Fresh Variety of Films

SATURDAY MORNING BUZZ – The 15th weekend of the movie year has finally cracked the $100 million mark — only the fourth time that’s happened in 2025. Studios and theaters alike have a reason to celebrate, with audiences returning in force for a colorful mix of titles.

Leading the charge? Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Minecraft: The Movie, which has stacked up over $434 million globally. This weekend, it’s expected to haul in another $80 million, making up more than half of this weekend’s projected $153M total — and nobody in the business is complaining.

Even without Minecraft, the weekend wouldn’t be lacking in momentum. Angel Studios stepped up with The King of Kings, an animated retelling of the life of Jesus with a Dickensian touch. The film, opening with a blessed $17.6M, marks the biggest debut for a faith-based animated feature ever, surpassing DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt. It scored an enthusiastic A+ on CinemaScore, 94% approval via Screen Engine/Comscore, and boasts a standout 83% "definite recommend" among viewers — with strong showings in the heartland, especially at Regal Spartanburg in South Carolina.

The timing couldn’t be better. With Easter around the corner and most K-12 schools and many colleges on break, the domestic box office looks to keep the momentum going. Warner Bros. will double down next week with Minecraft and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Even if it doesn’t top the charts, the combo brings serious firepower heading into summer.

What about Disney? Even if Thunderbolts underwhelms with a $70M start — below the magical $100M threshold some see as the summer kickoff — Memorial Day is looking stacked with Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning expected to rack up $160M+ combined over the long weekend.

TOO MANY MOVIES? NOT NECESSARILY

With five major wide releases all vying for audience attention, some are saying the market’s a bit overcrowded — especially with several films targeting similar audiences. The Amateur from 20th Century Studios (skewing 57% male, mainly over 25) and A24’s military drama Warfare (72% male, 53% over 25) may be stepping on each other’s toes demographically. Still, their openings — $15M and $8M respectively — probably wouldn’t change much even in a quieter marketplace, given their marketing spends.

Alex Garland’s Warfare, co-directed with Ray Mendoza, is his most acclaimed film yet, earning 90% positive PostTrak scores and an A- CinemaScore (a significant bump over Civil War’s B-). But despite critical love, it's performing modestly, likely due to limited promotion. It carries a lean $20M budget, and while not expected to hit Civil War numbers, A24 might’ve left money on the table by not investing more in marketing. Its 81.7M social media reach trails both genre norms and similar war titles like 12 Strong (which had 105M+ followers pre-release).

The Amateur, meanwhile, found solid footing on the coasts, particularly NYC's AMC Lincoln Square, which alone brought in $21K. Audience response? B+ CinemaScore and 77% satisfaction, with a 57% strong recommend rate.

HORROR HICCUPS AND FAITHFUL FOLLOWINGS

Over in horror land, Universal/Blumhouse’s Drop, starring Meghann Fahy, is creeping to a $7.7M debut. That’s better than recent Blumhouse outings like Wolf Man ($10.8M) and Woman in the Yard ($9.3M), and it even scored a genre-strong B CinemaScore and an 80% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes. But it still feels a bit underwhelming given its quality compared to past efforts. The film played strongest with women aged 25-34 and performed best in East, South Central, and West regions — topping out at AMC Burbank with $18K+.

Meanwhile, Fathom Events continues to tap into its devoted faith-based audience. The Chosen: The Last Supper – Part 3 pulled in $6.3M for its debut, with its trilogy already tallying $31.7M domestically. Top location? Cinemark 12 in American Fork, Utah, bringing in just shy of $7K.

THE CURRENT RANKINGS (3-DAY PROJECTIONS)

1. Minecraft: The Movie (WB/Legendary) – $80M (Total: $280.3M, Week 2)

2. The King of Kings (Angel Studios) – $17.6M (Debut)

3. The Amateur (20th Century) – $15M (Debut)

4. Warfare (A24) – $8M (Debut)

5. Drop (Universal/Blumhouse) – $7.7M (Debut)

6. The Chosen: Last Supper Pt. 3 (Fathom) – $6.3M (Debut)

7. A Working Man (Amazon) – $3.1M (Total: $33.5M, Week 3)

8. Snow White (Disney) – $2.8M (Total: $81.9M, Week 4)

9. Woman in the Yard (Universal) – $2.1M (Total: $20.3M, Week 3)

10. The Chosen: Last Supper Pt. 2 (Fathom) – $891K (Total: $10.9M, Week 2)

FRIDAY SNAPSHOT

Minecraft dropped 64% from last Friday but still pocketed $20.5M, which will power a huge weekend. The King of Kings continues its divine run with $7M Friday. The Amateur delivered a respectable $6M start. Warfare took in $3.55M on Friday, and Drop scared up $3.3M.

Preview screenings helped pad Thursday night numbers. Minecraft cruised past the $200M domestic mark with a $7.1M Thursday, while The King of Kings picked up $2M from early Thursday shows. The Amateur and Drop also posted preview numbers around $2M and $1.4M respectively.

BOTTOM LINE? The box office has finally found its rhythm again. Big hitters, niche successes, and genre variety are giving audiences a reason to return — and just in time for the summer movie season to heat up.