A Look at Video Game Movie Adaptations With Highest Box Office Success (Photo Credit – IMDb)
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Video game movie adaptations, especially video games with large fanbases, have always been a touchy subject. The ‘physics’ of video games is different; translating all that action and storyline into a film is not the most straightforward task, and when you factor in the expectations of an entire fanbase — the whole ordeal becomes downright daunting. Luckily, video game adaptations have taken off in the past decade, especially on TV in 2023 — and quite successfully! Their box office numbers prove that.
But, as mentioned above, these movies are brutal, considering their more fantastical elements and ‘animation.’ The latest addition anticipated for success in this category is the upcoming Minecraft, scheduled to be released on April 4, 2025.
Minecraft has a star-studded cast, including Jason Momoa, Matt Berry, Danielle Brooks, and possibly Jack Black. Let’s just wait and see how it pans out. With that being said, look at the video game adaptations with the highest box office earnings ever below.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is one of the highest-grossing video game adaptations ever to hit the screens and the 3rd highest animated movie ever. It was released on April 5, 2023, and made $375.6 million in its worldwide opening weekend alone. Its total worldwide box office earnings are $1.36 billion against a budget of only $100 million, as per Box Office Mojo. So, in short — it’s a lot of money. The movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and many more renowned actors. The film also received three nominations at the Golden Globe.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is available on Apple TV.
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is a fantasy comedy live-action movie with elements from the mega-popular RPG game franchise Pokemon. The film was released on May 10, 2019, in the US and had a domestic box office opening of $54 million. It has a worldwide box office gross of $450million (against a $150 million budget). Rob Letterman directed the movie, and Ryan Reynolds plays the titular role of Detective Pikachu. It also stars Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Ken Watanabe, and many other famous actors.
Detective Pikachu can be streamed on Prime Video.
Warcraft
Warcraft (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Warcraft is a fantasy film released on June 10, 2016, in the US. It’s based on Blizzard Entertainment’s real-time strategy franchise of the same name and features significant characters. It had a domestic box office opening of $24 million and is currently the third highest-grossing video game adaptation with a worldwide box office of $439 million against a $160 million budget. The movie is directed by Duncan Jones and stars Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, and Dominic Cooper.
Warcraft is available on Netflix.
Rampage
Rampage (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Rampage is a sci-fi action creature feature released on April 13, 2018, in the US and is based on the Midway Games’ action franchise of the same name. The movie earned about $35 million in its domestic opening weekend and currently has a worldwide box office gross of $428 million against a $120 million budget. It is directed by Brad Peyton and stars Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, and Malin Akerman.
Rampage can be viewed on Netflix.
Uncharted
Uncharted (Photo Credit – IMDb)
Uncharted is an action-adventure film based on the top-rated Uncharted franchise developed by Naughty Dog (The Last of Us developers). It was released on February 18, 2022, in the US, and despite having a few issues regarding the release schedules due to COVID-19, it still did quite well for itself. In its domestic opening weekend, it made $44 million, with its total worldwide earnings standing at $407 million against a $120 million budget. It is directed by Ruben Fleischer and stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg in the leading roles.
Uncharted can be streamed on Prime Video.
Video game movie adaptations are perfect for non-gamers who don’t want to sit through hours and hours of gameplay without even having any particular progress. Not enough patience for a video game? Just watch its movie!
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
