Warner Bros. has been in a transitional phase for several years now, as it tries to create new franchises that it can potentially rely on for the foreseeable future. There was a time, not too long ago, when the studio was coasting on the success of theHarry Potterseries, andChristopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. Released in 2008, the middle film of the trilogy,The Dark Knight,remains perhaps the most acclaimed superhero movie of all time. It also cracked the $1 billion mark at the global box office. The studio’s latest success story isA Minecraft Movie, which is making a final push towards the coveted box office milestone after over a month in theaters worldwide. Its quest to conquer the $1 billion saw a major victory recently, as it overtookThe Dark Knighton a crucial front.
StarringJason MomoaandJack Black, the movie’scumulative global haul stands at $876 millionso far; of this total,A Minecraft Moviehas grossed $400 million domestically, and the remaining $476 million from overseas markets. This puts it ahead ofThe Dark Knight’s $473 million lifetime overseas haul. Admittedly,these figures are unadjusted for over 15 years' worth of inflation, but box office reporting typically doesn’t factor inflation into final rankings.The Dark Knightgrossed over $500 million domestically, a number that seems to be getting out ofA Minecraft Movie’s reach with every passing day.
Directed byJared Hess, it remains the highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year so far, andthe second-biggest superhero movie of all time, behindThe Super Mario Bros. Movie. It turned things around for WB after a rather difficult start to the year, which was marked by the box office underperformance ofBong Joon Ho’sMickey 17andBarry Levinson’sThe Alto Knights. The studio is now in a much better place, withRyan Coogler’sSinnerssmashing records across the last three weeks. Produced ona reported budget of $150 million,A Minecraft Moviedefied mediocre reviews with enthusiastic support from audiences. A sequel will likely be fast-tracked.
Christopher Nolan Is Now Making Movies at Universal
Nolan was once WB’s favorite in-house filmmaker, before he parted ways under unpleasant circumstances in 2021. He directed not onlyThe Dark Knightfor the studio, but also its follow-up,The Dark Knight Rises, and the science fiction filmsInception,Interstellar, andTenet. He has now moved to Universal, where he directed the Best Picture and Best Director-winningOppenheimer, and the in-productionThe Odyssey. You can watchA Minecraft Moviein theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
A Minecraft Movie
The malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, prompting a young girl and her group of unlikely adventurers to set out to save the Overworld.
