'A Minecraft Movie' is both a box office hit and post-ironic meme

The film industry has been shakily regaining its footing after a tumultuous decade of streamers, strikes and pandemic-induced shutdowns, causing years-long identity crises for studios trying to restore attendance.

So, it came as a bit of a surprise when A Minecraft Movie, Warner Bros.' contribution to the children's IP adaptation trend, surpassed box office expectations after opening this past weekend.

According to Variety, the film earned $163 million domestically and $313 million globally, making it the biggest debut of 2025. It is the biggest video game adaptation opening in box office history, surpassing the record previously held by 2023's The Super Mario Bros Movie.

A tepid critical response didn't sink the movie's commercial success — NPR's own PCHH podcast called it "ridiculous," but not necessarily in a bad way.

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on how A Minecraft Movie turns a best-selling game into a cinematic block party.

The popularity of the film as a subject of online discourse is multifaceted, too. Leading up to the film's release, clips from watershed moments of the film were already going viral on TikTok.

Then, after the film's release on Friday, that momentum translated to real life, where users began filming and sharing videos of their own theaters filled with raucous audience participation.

Which begs the question: Are audiences going to the movie for a Rocky Horror kind of experience or are they cashing in on the meme? Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communications at Syracuse University and a social media expert, spoke to NPR in 2022 when Minions: The Rise of Gru garnered a similar show of enthusiasm (and disturbed some movie-goers).

"They got exposed to it because they're all seeing TikTok and so they [become] aware of it," Grygiel said in 2022. "I think it leads to that type of participation. You know, sometimes social media ends up functioning like a big water cooler."

Some things haven't changed since then. Kids still participate in online social trends and get their cues from the internet.

"This does feel slightly different in the sense that it's attracted somebody who is more of a fan of this platform, who's interested in the Minecraft community," Grygiel told NPR in an interview this week.

"Even just seeing the responses, it seems like the [audience members] were kind of hyped up together around certain points."

One of the most heavily memed scenes comes as a character from the game called the chicken jockey makes its entrance right before a battle with the protagonists.

"In that fight scene," Grygiel explained, "it was almost like they were participating as if they would be in Minecraft together, engaging each other in this hybrid space, kind of a crossover from the virtual to the IRL."

Grygiel added that despite their reputation as the most online generation, Gen-Z is looking for more opportunities to engage with their peers offline.

"Maybe some of it is there just isn't enough that's bringing them together in the real world. They do want to be analog. They do want to find fun. They do want some entertainment in the terrestrial space."

Grygiel suggests that if that desire exists, communities — and not just movie theaters — could step up to fulfill it.

"There's a lot of potential to develop and invest in building community in spaces for this youth, but maybe also their parents, in the physical world."

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