The history of the video game movie is full of hits and misses, with the biggest box office success stories only appearing in the last decade. The most recent film to join their ranks is Warner Bros.’ Minecraft, just off a record-breaking $300M global opening weekend and sure to creep higher in the rankings as the days go on.
1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Universal | April 5, 2023
Domestic Opening Weekend: $146.3M
Domestic Total: $579.M
When The Super Mario Bros. opened in April 2023, $72.1M was the number to beat—that is, what would be required to pass Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at the domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time. It cleared that hurdle after only five days, then went on to become the second-highest grosser of the year domestically and globally, in both cases trailing only Barbie. A follow-up film has been dated for April 3, 2026.
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Paramount | December 20, 2024
Domestic Opening Weekend: $60.1M
Domestic Total: $236.1M
Paramount took something of a risk releasing the latest addition to their Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in December; the two previous films did very well for themselves opening earlier in the year (see below), and the 2024 holiday season was chock-a-block with blockbuster releases, including Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King—out the same day as Sonic 3—and Moana 2 and Wicked, still holding strong following their respective late November bows… not to mention more adult-skewing titles like Nosferatu and A Complete Stranger. When the market proved itself able to sustain itself with that many titles vying for audience eyeballs, it felt almost like 2019 again.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Paramount | April 8, 2022
Domestic Opening Weekend: $72.1M
Domestic Total: $190.8M
Sonic outdid himself in his second trip to the movies, out-earning his first film by some by $40M—though the first Sonic had its theatrical release cut short by the pandemic, so let’s call them both winners. This time around, fans responded to the addition of fan favorite character Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba, as well as the return of Jim Carrey as the quirky villain Doctor Eggman. “There’s so much spectacle,” director Jeff Fowler told Boxoffice Pro prior to Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s theatrical release. “I think people are going to really love it. It’s like a [roller-coaster] ride. All the action is bigger, all the set pieces are bigger. Really, I think it’s just perfect for audiences, getting together with your friends or your family and seeing a big movie on the biggest screen possible.”
4. A Minecraft Movie
Warner Bros. | April 4, 2025
Domestic Opening Weekend: $163M
Domestic Total: $193.2M (as of April 11, 2025)
A Minecraft Movie game out the gate strong in early April, besting The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $146.3M opening weekend cume and securing the title of best opening weekend ever for a video game movie. Needless to say, given the lackluster nature of Q1 2025 box office, A Minecraft Movie has the highest opening of any movie so far this year…. and is also the second highest-grossing movie of the year-to-date, trailing only Captain America: Brave New World—again, after only three days. Looking at international territories, A Minecraft Movie’s $343.9M lags behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.359B), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ($490.69M), and Warcraft ($438.89M), a short list that’s sure to get shorter as the film’s theatrical run continues.
5. Uncharted
Sony | February 18, 2022
Domestic Opening Weekend: $44M
Domestic Total: $148.6M
The highest-ranked live-action movie on this list, Uncharted was in development for so long that Mark Wahlberg, who at one point was cast as the plucky young hero Nathan Drake, ended up playing Drake’s mentor, Sully. The role of Drake, meanwhile, went to Tom Holland, fresh off the megahit Spider-Man: No Way Home, which came out two months before Uncharted and was still the number three film in America when Uncharted debuted over President’s Day weekend. Uncharted overperformed compared to expectations and enjoyed strong holds, dropping out of the top five only in April.
6. Sonic the Hedgehog
Paramount | February 14, 2020
Domestic Opening Weekend: $58M
Domestic Total: $148.9M
Sonic the Hedgehog was one of a few—very few—bright spots in 2020, a year that saw the domestic industry either shut down entirely or have to cope with a lack of new, major titles. Opening over Valentine’s Day weekend, Sonic stayed in theaters through March 19, a week past the date (3/13) when much of the industry ground to a halt. On March 20, Paramount announced that the movie would hit digital platforms in Canada and the U.S. on March 31st, well before the end of the typical 90-day theatrical exclusivity window that was the subject of so much debate that year. Sonic became the third highest-grosser of 2020, and the digital numbers it racked up as families were forced to stay at home doubtless contributed to the two sequels earning their high positions on this list.
7. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Warner Bros. | May 10, 2019
Domestic Opening Weekend: $54.3M
Domestic Total: $144.1M
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu lucked out by hitting theaters a little less than a year before the pandemic shut down the global exhibition industry, meaning it got to enjoy its theatrical run free of capacity restrictions and neverending release date changes. Still, it wasn’t lucky timing that got Detective Pikcahu to $144.1M domestic or $289M international, putting it among the year’s top 20 global earners with $433.3M.
8. Five Nights at Freddy’s
Universal | October 27, 2023
Domestic Opening Weekend: $80M
Domestic Total: $137.2M
Jaws dropped when Five Nights at Freddy’s opened to $80M in October of 2023—not because anyone doubted the draw of the film among younger audiences, many of whom grew up with the video game series it’s based on, but because Universal released it day-and-date in theaters and on the streaming service Peacock. Still, Gen Z audiences flocked to Freddy in theaters on opening weekend, opting to treat the film as an event rather than something to watch in ones and twos on their computers and TVs. Week two saw a steep drop—one of -76.2 percent, in fact, down to $19M, as the pendulum swung towards streaming—but the film still serves as a strong example of how nostalgia and the desire for a communal experience can drive ticket sales in spite of streaming availability.
9. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Paramount | June 15, 2001
Domestic Opening Weekend: $47.7M
Domestic Total: $131.1M
Fifteen years older than the next earliest movie on this list, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was a bright spot among a slew of live-action video game adaptations that failed to connect with audiences in the early years of the 21st century. Lara Croft was able to capitalize on the explosive star power of star Angelina Jolie, in the process becoming Paramount’s highest-earning 2001 release with $131.1 million domestically and $274.7 million worldwide off a reported $115 million budget. The film’s 2023 sequel, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life ($21.7M domestic opening, $65.6M domestic total) was unable to recapture the magic of the original, as was a 2018 reboot of the franchise—simply titled Tomb Raider ($23.6M domestic opening, $58.2M domestic total)—starring Alicia Vikander.
10. The Angry Birds Movie
Sony | May 20, 2016
Domestic Opening Weekend: $38.1M
Domestic Total: $107.5M
Seven years after Angry Birds took the mobile gaming world by storm, Sony released The Angry Birds Movie under their Columbia Pictures banner. Released in a year when Disney dominated, putting out six of the top ten highest-grossing films domestically, Angry Birds was overshadowed by a glut of family titles that included Finding Dory, The Jungle Book, Zootopia, and Moana (Disney); Kung Fu Panda 3 and Trolls (20th Century Fox), The Secret Life of Pets and Sing (Universal), and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Warner Bros.) Released in August 2019, The Angry Birds Movie 2 opened in fourth place at the domestic market; its $41.6M domestic haul is only a few million above what its predecessor pulled in on its opening weekend alone.
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