It’s time for Superman to hang up his cape and the Avengers to disassemble. Hollywood’s new hero is here and his name is Steve.
You might not instantly recognize Steve, the player avatar of Minecraft, Microsoft Corp.’s sandbox playground video game; the character is something of a blank slate for the user to project themselves onto. But especially if you have kids, you’ll likely have seen Steve played by Jack Black in "A Minecraft Movie," the surprise box-office hit of the year.
The big-screen feature from Warner Bros. Discovery has outearned every other U.S. movie so far in 2025, vastly outperforming expectations and taking in twice the box-office revenue of its closest competitor, February’s" Captain America: Brave New World." It’s a comparison that might have legs. Superhero films have been the staple of Hollywood blockbusters for 15 years, but audience interest is flagging — and the success of "Minecraft" suggests video games can be the next big-screen big thing.
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