A $1B Panned Movie Spawns a Sequel Called 'Squared'

Critics gave it a 6/10 on a generous day. Audiences handed it over $1 billion at the box office. That tension between what reviewers thought of A Minecraft Movie and what ticket sales actually looked like is the entire reason we're now talking about a sequel, and the title they've landed on is perfect: A Minecraft Movie Squared.

The name was revealed during Mojang's Minecraft Live showcase at TwitchCon Europe on May 30, alongside a behind-the-scenes video featuring Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Danielle Brooks on set in New Zealand. The sequel will hit theaters on July 23, 2027, with Jared Hess returning to direct from a script he co-wrote with Chris Galletta.

The bigger casting news: Kirsten Dunst is confirmed as Alex, and Matt Berry is returning in a new live-action role after voicing Nitwit in the original. Berry being coy about who he's playing, while joking about wearing a shirt "Steve would not be wearing," is exactly the kind of energy I want from this franchise. Jennifer Coolidge is also reprising her role. The behind-the-scenes teaser showed concept art for a Polar Bear mob and hinted at new biomes and mobs pulled from the game.

The $1 Billion Contradiction about A Minecraft Movie that nobody in the industry can quite explain away: it was not a good film by almost any critical measure, and it absolutely dominated theaters. It earned $301 million in its opening weekend alone, making it the biggest debut for a video game movie ever. Warner Bros. Confirmed the sequel back in October 2025 with a June 2027 window, which has now shifted slightly to July 23.

I'm curious whether the sequel can repeat that trick. The first film benefited from novelty, from parents dragging kids to the cinema, and from a marketing machine that turned memes into ticket sales. A second time around, the novelty is gone. The question becomes whether Mojang and Warner Bros. Can actually make a better movie when the financial pressure says they don't need to. The "Squared" title at least suggests they're leaning into the absurdity rather than pretending this is prestige cinema, and I respect that.

Mojang is also running a Minecraft Movie Build Challenge tied to the sequel. Players can submit builds between now and June 8 for a chance to have their creation featured in the film's end credits. Finalists get a private screening. There's also a builder cape cosmetic available through watching Minecraft content on Twitch or TikTok through June 14.

Beyond the movie, Minecraft Live dropped several game updates. A free content drop called Chaos Cubed arrives June 16 with a sulfur cave biome and sulfur cube mob. A third drop later this year will add the dappled forest biome. Mojang also showed concept art for Minecraft Dungeons 2, including the Deep Dark's Twisted Warden boss, though gameplay footage is still absent despite a 2026 launch window. One thing conspicuously missing from the showcase: any update on the Minecraft Netflix animated series announced back in 2024.