Turning a successful game into a movie might sound like an obvious move, but getting it right is another challenge entirely. Gamers already know the characters, worlds and stories they love so expectations can be incredibly high. Despite some famous misfires over the years, plenty of games have leapt to the big screen and found an entirely new audience along the way.
Few characters demonstrate this better than Lara Croft. The adventurer was already a gaming icon before Angelina Jolie stepped into the role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider in 2001. Packed with action, daring stunts and CGI, the movie generated more than $275 million at the box office. The franchise has expanded beyond consoles and cinemas too, with a successful slots game released by Microgaming in 2004, showing just how recognisable the Tomb Raider name has become.
Another gaming giant to conquer cinemas is Minecraft. Despite the game being around for almost two decades, fans had to wait until 2025 for a movie adaptation. The wait proved worthwhile at the box office, with the film becoming a major hit and inspiring viral memes and trends, including the famous “Chicken Jockey” craze.
The Super Mario Bros. franchise has had a more complicated cinematic journey. The 1993 live-action movie was poorly received by critics, although it developed a following among fans. Three decades later, The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought Mario, Princess Peach and Bowser back to cinemas in animated form, with Chris Pratt, Jack Black and Keegan-Michael Key among the stars providing voices.
Some games seem almost designed for the big screen. Mortal Kombat transformed its intense fighting action and memorable characters into a live-action movie that earned $84.4 million from a $55 million budget. Warcraft went even bigger, taking its fantasy world into cinemas in 2016 and earning an estimated $439 million worldwide.
Horror games have also provided filmmakers with plenty of inspiration. The Resident Evil franchise moved from its 1990s video game origins into a successful series of movies filled with zombies, villains and apocalyptic action. Silent Hill followed a similar route, bringing the eerie fog, unsettling town and disturbing atmosphere of the original game to cinemas.
Elsewhere, Sonic the Hedgehog reached the big screen in 2020 after years of development, while Pokémon Detective Pikachu offered something different in 2019 with its combination of mystery, action and familiar creatures. Even the mobile phenomenon Angry Birds became a movie, expanding the simple battle between birds and green pigs into a cinematic adventure.
From Lara Croft and Mario to Minecraft and Sonic, the biggest gaming franchises have shown that their appeal can stretch far beyond a controller. Not every adaptation wins over critics or longtime players. Still, when filmmakers capture what made the original game special, the results can attract established fans while introducing these characters and worlds to millions of new viewers.
