Minecraft Movie Coming in 2019

Movies based on video games don't have the best track record at the box office. Warcraft, a video-game-based fantasy, was widely considered to be a bomb in its U.S. debut, and yet it still managed to become the highest-grossing video game movie ever thanks to impressive international performance. Warner Bros. hopes that a movie based on the world-building video game Minecraft will do even better and become the first genuine video-game blockbuster hit.

Minecraft has a vast advantage over Warcraft in that the video game is widely popular with gamers of all ages, and its tone is more whimsical than the deadly serious Warcraft. On the other hand, Minecraft's blocky graphical style doesn't lend itself to expressive characters, and unless the film's makers are extremely creative with their adaptation, the style might lack appeal for non-gamer audiences.

Warner Bros. announced this week that the Minecraft movie is scheduled for release on May 25, 2019. That date will put the film in nearly direct competition with Star Wars Episode IX and Marvel's Infinity Wars Part 2, so don't be surprised if Minecraft's release date shifts between now and 2019.