With the superhero movie craze losing steam over the years, fans and hobbyists have been left wondering where their favorite larger-than-life characters will turn up next. The Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be imploding under its own weight, while DC’s movie titles have been restructured time and time again. The caped crusader genre has simply lost its focus.
And then there are video game franchises.
Before their massive resurgence, video game adaptations weren’t exactly critical darlings (or box office hits) in the late '90s and early 2000s. Milla Jovovich endured flop after flop with the Resident Evil movies (though, admittedly, I still enjoyed watching them back then). Despite their awkward casting and questionable creative choices, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter also developed cult followings.
Now, in what feels like a twist of fate, interest in movie adaptations of video games is overlapping the fading superhero genre. Audiences are showing up even without playing the games, which would’ve been unheard of a decade ago.
The first real sign of this shift was the Sonic the Hedgehog movies. The character’s leap to live-action was a significant departure from his familiar 2D and 3D forms. When the trailer first dropped, fans were horrified by Sonic’s alien-looking teeth and un-cute design. Paramount wisely listened, went back to the drawing board, and what followed was a $320 million box office success that turned into a thriving franchise with Keanu Reeves in the third movie as Shadow.
Nintendo didn’t want to miss out, either. Their Super Mario Bros. movie was a huge hit, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide, and a sequel is already planned for next year.
Then there’s the Minecraft movie, which had the internet buzzing with memes before its release. It opened to a staggering $301 million in box office revenue (on its opening weekend alone) and more than double its budget.
To compare, Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World, starring Sam Wilson and Red Hulk, raked in just $400 million on a reported $180 million budget—not including rumored reshoots.
Of course, not all video game adaptations are guaranteed wins. While Minecraft and Mario brought in big money, critics weren’t impressed. But that didn’t matter much to the kids (or the young at heart). Let’s face it: a ten-year-old isn’t checking Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB ratings before buying a movie ticket.
This boom isn't limited to the big screen either. The TV industry has jumped on the trend, reimagining popular franchises as serialized shows. Netflix’s Castlevania series was the first big success, reigniting interest in the franchise. More recently, Netflix’s Devil May Cry series sparked polarized reactions, while HBO’s The Last of Us drew in massive audiences with its grim, emotionally charged take on the beloved game.
All signs point to one thing: fans and hobbyists are eating well. As superhero fatigue sets in, video game adaptations are stepping up to fill that gap, offering pop culture lovers more choices—and new ways for fresh fans to dive in. Whether you’re into capes or consoles, it’s a great time to be part of the fandom.