Some of the highest-grossing Hollywood films over the past ten years have been video game adaptations. In other words, the most successful blockbusters that resonate most with film-goers more than any others are those based on our favourite video games.
The question being asked here is, will video games continue to be a source of inspiration for Hollywood films? Let’s dive straight in to find out.
Why do so many studios adapt video games into television shows or films?
It all boils down to money. Studios that master the art of adapting hit video games into blockbuster films have learned they can generate hundreds of millions of dollars.
According to reports, the Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in 2023, was the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time. It was the first film based on a video game to earn more than $1 billion globally at the box office.
Video games have long been a source of inspiration for Hollywood, and experts predict that the trend will continue in 2025 and beyond. A similar thing is happening in the iGaming industry.
For example, many of today’s most popular computer-generated casino games online, especially online slot machines, have been adapted from major television shows and movies. These hit titles are brought to you by a handful of market-leading software providers and game development studios. These companies have secured the necessary licensing agreements to adapt these films into games.
Some of the most famous slots that have been adapted from major film franchises, which many of you may already be familiar with by now, include The Goonies, King Kong, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Jumanji, Gladiator, Planet of the Apes, Ted, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, Beetlejuice, Rick and Morty, Ace Ventura, and The Dark Knight, to name a few.
Which video games have been adapted into the most successful Hollywood movies in recent years?
Some of the most famous Hollywood adaptations of video games that were an instant hit on the big screen are the following blockbuster titles:
- Video game adaptation: Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Year: 2022
- Video game adaptation: Unchartered. Year: 2022
- Video game adaptation: Detective Pikachu. Year: 2019
- Video game adaptation: Rampage. Year: 2018
- Video game adaptation: Warcraft. Year: 2016
Others that have also been successful adaptations include the Resident Evil franchise (e.g., Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Resident Evil: Afterlife), Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat, and Werewolves Within. That’s not forgetting The Angry Birds Movie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
There’s also Pokémon: The Movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Gran Turismo, Hitman, Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie, Street Fighter, Max Payne, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and Doom, and many others.
Upcoming video game movie adaptations to look forward to in 2025
According to various sources, several video game adaptations are currently in the works and will likely make it to the big screen in 2025. They are in various stages of production and include a whole host of films based on the video game industry’s most successful titles.
The next video game film will be released in time for Christmas this year. On December 20, 2024, don’t forget to add the new Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film to your diary, especially if you enjoyed the first two instalments.
Others to look forward to next year are a new Minecraft Movie (expected to be released in April 2025), Until Dawn (also April), Mortal Kombat 2 (October 2025), Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (Autumn 2025), and Street Fighter (March 2026).
There is also talk of The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, Angry Birds 3, BioShock, Death Standing, Detective Pikachu 2, Dredge, Duke Nukem, El Paso, Elsewhere, Gears of War, Ghost of Tsushima, It Takes Two, The Legend of Zelda, and Just Cause, plus countless others.
Hollywood adaptations of video games weren’t always as successful as they are today. They often tanked at the box office, but several studios have mastered keeping them as true to the original video game as possible.
The studios work closely with the people who created the games to translate as much as possible from the console to the big screen to satisfy audiences.
Final thoughts
Having the biggest movie stars appear in these adaptations, along with a great script and storyline and the latest high-end graphics and animations, also helps with their success.
These adaptations are proving so successful in modern times that there’s a good chance that many of these rumoured upcoming releases will be the start of an exciting new wave of video game films. They will no doubt continue to dominate the box office over the next few years, at least until everyone gets tired of seeing them.
