The Minecraft movie is drawing the most dangerous comparison imaginable, as viewers invoke the Borderlands movie and its $90 million box office failure

The first trailer for Jack Black’s Minecraft movie dropped yesterday, and it wasn’t long before viewers started drawing unfortunate comparisons to one of the biggest cinematic flops of the year.

Even at first glance, I can spot several issues with the Minecraft movie from its first trailer. Perhaps the most apparent is Jack Black’s Steve, who very much appears to simply be Jack Black in a blue t-shirt (and while we’re discussing the work of the wardrobe department, I’ve got to mention Jason Momoa’s shaggy bangs/pink blazer combo). Another is the fate of the animals, who in the studio’s pursuit of Minecraft’s blocky style look like the result of that first Sonic trailer – you know, before the blue blur’s extensive redesign.

There’s also a lot to be said about the fact that despite this being a ‘live-action’ adaptation, there’s not a huge amount of ‘live’ beyond that major cast. The vast, vast majority of this film appears to have been filmed against greenscreen, and while that might be true of a number of major blockbusters, it’s particularly apparent here. 

Overall, it’s not gone down particularly well, and that’s drawn immediate comparisons to another recent video game movie. The shadow of Borderlands certainly hangs over Minecraft, and it’s not taken viewers long to draw attention to that.

Borderlands launched to not only abysmal reviews, but also shockingly poor box office takings, losing anywhere between $80-90 million depending on exactly what its budget amounted to. That budget, however, is thought to be at least $30 million lower than the Minecraft movie’s, reports suggesting that that came in at $150 million. Thankfully for Warner Bros, I imagine that we’re not facing off the same kind of financial flop as Borderlands, not least because Minecraft’s aiming squarely at its ardent fanbase of children, while Borderlands famously abandoned the R-rated vibe of the games in search of a more accessible PG-13. 

Nevertheless, comparisons to one of the worst-rated films of the entire year can’t be something that the likes of Black, Momoa, and director Jared Hess were hoping for. ‘A Minecraft Movie’ is expected to release in April 2025, and I can confirm I will not be seated, even as it inevitably draws in box office takings to rival the Super Mario Bros movie’s record game adaptation revenue.

Time for a palette cleanse? Just watch the Sonic 3 trailer instead.