After an extensive marketing campaign including countless social media posts and a partnership with McDonald’s, A Minecraft Movie has finally come to theatres. Despite a lukewarm reception from critics, the film is expected to earn $65 million in the US and $65 million abroad for its opening weekend.
The premiere in London featured a green carpet event, forgoing the illustrious red carpet that has accompanied countless movie stars in the past. Alongside the film’s stars, influencers were invited to experience and report on the event.
The film, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, explores the world of Minecraft and touches on themes of environmental exploitation. The main villain is Malgosha; an evil sorceress that has mined all gold from her now desolate homeland, the Nether. After discovering she plans to invade the luscious, green Overworld and extract all its resources for herself, the main characters band together to defeat her. Just like most modern franchises aimed at children, this isn’t the first time Minecraft has attempted environmental messaging.
A green game
Minecraft is the best selling video game of all time. Over 350 million copies have been sold and 204.33 million players are still active monthly. The developer and publisher, Mojang Studios is keenly aware that the leading player base and audience for Minecraft entertainment is children. Though the game is primarily about chopping down trees to make tools and homes, Mojang have taken steps to ensure their players understand the environment and sustainability.
Since the official release of the game in 2011, many educational and green initiatives have been implemented, specifically aimed at students. One example is Minecraft Education. Launched in 2016, it’s a special edition of the game designed for use in schools. It helps prepare students for the workplace and can teach them everything from coding to biodiversity. One resource comes in the form of ‘Sustainability City’; a Minecraft map of an entire city where students can explore and take part in lessons about recycling, the sustainable home, food production and more.
As it’s not inherently designed to be a game about sustainability and environmental impact, these are celebrated additions to the Minecraft brand and its societal presence, especially as Minecraft won’t be leaving the cultural zeitgeist in the years to come. A post-credits scene in the film reveals potential for a sequel, including another character from the game that would delight fans. If projections continue as expected, a sequel film could very well grace the silver screen in the future.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Wikicommons
