After years of rumours circulating about a Minecraft movie, the live adaptation finally became a reality. Long viewed as a kids’ game, Minecraft has a global audience that spans generations.
A live-action adaptation always seemed inevitable, but also unnecessary—and risky to say the least. The question wasn’t whether they could make it, but whether they should.
But was this the movie people were hoping for?
The double-edged sword of live-action adaptations
As video game fans, it’s natural to be skeptical when a studio announces a live-action adaptation of your favourite game or animated series. We’ve seen it before, especially anime fans who had to watch their beloved series painfully get turned into a watered-down, awkward, cringeworthy live-action.
And no, this is not a direct call out to Netflix’s adaptation of Death Note, but if you’ve seen it, you get my point.
Some adaptations have been successful. Arcane, the League of Legends TV series, was a hit, drawing in viewers beyond the game’s core fanbase. Though it was an animated series, not live-action, the show was successful because it gave fans what they wanted while still creating a compelling narrative for new watchers.
Minecraft’s strengths don’t lie in the storyline, but in the players’ level of creativity. It’s a sandbox experience where players can build and shape their world as they want.
With that level of freedom, things can be as abstract or odd as you want them to be—and if you can see it from this point of view, I’d argue A Minecraft Movie captured the spirit of the game surprisingly well. But maybe we all didn’t initially see it that way.
A million dislikes later
When the trailer rolled out for A Minecraft Movie in September 2024, the overall response was pretty harsh. Starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen, this was not the dream cast people were imagining.
Fans speculated either Pedro Pascal, Tom Welling, Ben Schwartz, or Paul Rudd would have been top options for Steve. Honestly, I could completely see Paul Rudd. Some also wanted Benedict Cumberbatch as the Ender Dragon, and I would’ve been all in for that. Ultimately, none of these fan nominees were chosen for the movie.
People weren’t too impressed with the cast, nor the design choices. Many said it clashed with the Minecraft aesthetic, especially with the combination of CGI. The movie trailer received over one million dislikes as the execution of the film did not live up to their expectations.
As the release date approached, fans kept their doubts—leading up to April 2025, when the movie hit theatres. Soon, the memes and comments turned from negative to “chicken jockey.” And if you’re wondering what chicken jockey is, let me elaborate.
Gen Z’s first cult classic
This phenomenon, and yes, the phenomenon is the correct way to describe this, arguably saved A Minecraft Movie. Amid the film’s chaos, from plot to character design to CGI, one scene changed everyone’s attitude.
If you haven’t seen the movie, I’ll try my best to describe this scene. Imagine Jason Momoa (Garrett) confronting a baby zombie riding a chicken in a boxing ring—and no, I’m not making this up—when Jack Black (Steve) yells: “Chicken jockey!” That alone resonated with so many fans that it went viral and would soon wreak havoc on every theatre showing this movie.
As the chicken jockey moment quickly became an internet sensation across every social media platform you can think of, it also started to impact the behavior of viewers when they saw the movie.
People would see it just to wait for the anticipated chicken jockey scene, and the theatre would erupt into mayhem. People yelling, jumping, and throwing popcorn, creating such a mess that I would’ve upped the pay rate of whoever had to clean it up.
Minions and Minecraft box office glory
Whether you were a Minecraft fan or not, every theatre would be sold out to partake in a shared online meme. Some media headlines started to call it “the first true Gen Z cult film.” And if you were around for Minions: The Rise of Gru, these two experiences were quite similar. Both movies, which were generally targeted towards children, managed to grab massive attention from Gen Z audiences.
As true digital natives, this generation grew up on the internet and has a deep understanding of the fast-paced trends and internet humour. A simple joke or meme that catches fire on social media can completely change a movie’s trajectory. Whether it’s dressing up in a suit to be a “gentleminion” or yelling chicken jockey in a movie theatre, it might all seem absurd, but it’s becoming the new normal.
Once some 19-year-old posts a joke about your movie and it goes viral, that’s likely all the marketing you’ll need.
Box office performance of the Minecraft phenomenon
Social media’s power has undeniably influenced films’ success, and A Minecraft Movie is a prime example. With a production budget of $150 million, the film has grossed almost a billion dollars worldwide, making it one of the most profitable video game adaptations to date.
This impressive return on investment underscores how meme culture and viral moments can drive audiences to theaters, transforming skepticism into box office gold.
In the realm of video game movies, A Minecraft Movie ranks as the second-highest-grossing adaptation, trailing only behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which amassed $1.36 billion globally. Other notable entries include Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ($491m), Detective Pikachu ($450m), and Warcraft ($439m).
The success of A Minecraft Movie not only highlights the lucrative potential of video game adaptations but also emphasizes the significant role that online communities and social media play in shaping a film’s reception and financial performance.
YouTuber cameos and behind-the-scenes drama
Besides the movie’s chicken-themed phenomenon, the directors surprised fans with cameos from content creators in the Minecraft community. In March 2025, rumors about YouTuber cameos were confirmed with a list of special appearances including DanTDM, Aphamu, Mambo Jumbo, and LDShadowLady.
These specific YouTubers have strong ties to the Minecraft community, and many fans who grew up watching them felt a sense of pride from seeing them go from making Minecraft videos to now being in A Minecraft Movie.
Including these YouTubers was a smart move, using influencer marketing that boosted the film on social media. With millions of followers from each YouTuber, they were able to promote the movie directly to their target audience to spread news and drive ticket sales.
While the overall response was positive, some fans felt that the creators left out some major influencers in the community, like Dream, Grian, and others, saying it was a missed opportunity.
The Valkyrae and Momoa controversy
Along with these four prominent YouTubers, there was talk that streamer Valkyrae also had a cameo in the film. That rumor was later confirmed to be accurate, yet she has no appearance in the movie.
The reason for her removal wasn’t officially stated, but some have speculated it might be connected to comments she made during a stream on JasonTheWeen’s channel.
JasonTheWeen, whose real name is Jason Nguyen, is a prominent Twitch streamer with over 1.2m followers on Twitch. In the interview, Valkyrae recounted her experience on set, specifically mentioning an incident involving Jason Momoa.
It was said that he mistreated crew members by yelling at them, creating a very tense work environment. Coincidentally, a few months after the interview, she confirmed her cameo was cut from the movie’s final version, and it was not a choice made by her or the creators. Though Valkyrae was disappointed, she commented on a stream, “I would much rather not have that 30 seconds than be sued.”
There has been some backlash on Jason Momoa over his alleged behaviour, though many have defended him saying his outburst could’ve been the result of stress or being overworked. Currently, there have been no statements or comments from the actor about the situation, so until then, all we can do is speculate.
Will there be a second Minecraft Movie?
After everything, A Minecraft Movie has become a massive success. So much so that, could they try for A Minecraft Movie 2? In the post-credit scene, Steve returns to his old home when a redhead answers the door. If you were a die-hard Minecraft player, you had a good hunch of who it was.
They talk about a chest in the attic that Steve left behind, and the redhead is revealed as Alex, the other default character in the game besides Steve. And then… black screen.
So, does this mean there will be a second movie? After all the memes and unexpected box office glory, it feels like a second movie is possible, especially with that mysterious chest. But the problem with sequels is that they rarely live up to the original. And in this case, where there was a mix of hype and criticism, the odds of pulling off another hit are a risky gamble.
Whether a sequel is in the making or not, the expectations are higher than ever. Recapturing that same magic and having another movie go viral isn’t as easy as it looks. So, living up to the hype will be hard. But if a second movie comes around, I’ll definitely be watching to see how they try to top chicken jockey.
The next live-action cult classic
So was this the movie people were hoping for? Maybe not at first. It wasn’t the aesthetically pleasing Minecraft Movie with Paul Rudd, but the turnaround for the film has been legendary.
With social media becoming more powerful and influential than ever, I’m interested to see how producers and marketing teams start incorporating internet humour to leverage their film’s success.
And with news going around of a movie adaptation of The Sims I’ll be watching to see how that one plays out. The film is being produced by Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap Entertainment—the team behind the 2023 box office hit Barbie—and directed by Kate Herron, known for her work on Marvel’s Loki. While plot details remain under wraps, EA has hinted that the movie will include nods to classic in-game elements, aiming to capture the essence of the beloved series.
As studios continue to adapt video games for the big screen, the success of A Minecraft Movie illustrates the potential of embracing internet culture and fan communities. If The Sims movie can tap into the unique quirks and humor that fans cherish, it might just replicate—or even surpass—the viral success of its blocky predecessor.
