Despite the collective eye-rolls from critics like me, Jared Hess’ A Minecraft Movie has turned into a surprise hit, pulling in $323.4 million in its opening weekend. That’s double its budget—and it doesn’t stop there. The film has taken over TikTok, with viral clips of audience reactions to iconic moments, like the now-infamous chicken jockey scene. If you’ve ever doubted that viral moments can translate to box office gold, here’s your proof. This unexpected success has sent Hollywood into a frenzy, with rumours swirling that Fortnite could be next in line for a big-screen movie adaptation. After all, the game has a massive following, and if Minecraft can do it, why not Fortnite? Film insider DanielRPK hinted at a potential Fortnite movie, claiming that while studios had previously passed on the idea, its popularity could make it an easy sell now. Makes sense, right?
Not so fast, though. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney decided to shut down these rumours in the most direct way possible: with a single, cold “false” on X (formerly Twitter). DanielRPK, seeing that his speculation had just been slapped down by the head honcho himself, swiftly deleted his post. So, is this the end of the Fortnite movie dream? Sweeney’s cryptic response leaves room for plenty of questions. Is he denying that Fortnite ever had any movie talks? Or is he just dismissing the idea of a Fortnite film being revived after A Minecraft Movie‘s surprise success?
Or maybe—just maybe—he’s denying all of it because Fortnite is already in the works as a movie, and he’s just not ready to spill the beans. Who knows?
But here’s the thing: If there isn’t a Fortnite movie in the pipeline, there absolutely should be. After all, with Disney as a stakeholder in Epic Games, the mouse might just be the one pulling the strings on this one. And if the Minecraft movie has shown us anything, it’s that Hollywood will happily throw money at whatever’s hot in the gaming world. Brace yourself for a wave of “meme films”—adaptations of video games that may not make much sense to anyone who hasn’t played them, but will likely go viral on social media. Expect films based on GTA, PUBG, Red Dead Redemption, and more. It’s a new era, folks, and the games are the stars.
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