According to a report from Box Office Mojo, the live-action movie Pokemon: Detective Pikachu has achieved a record opening for a video game adaptation. In fact, right now it's right behind the mega-blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, which is also breaking a lot of records. It just might become the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time. According to the report, the opening domestic gross totals about $58 million, and an estimated $103 million internationally.
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is a CGI-intensive yet live-action adaptation based on the 2016 video game of the same name (our impressions). It has topped the 2001 adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie, which grossed over $47 million. In order to become the highest grossing with total lifetime gross, Pikachu will have to earn over $131 million, which seems doable considering the head start.
And not only has the adaptation been commercially successful, but it also achieved an A- CinemaScore, and an 85% Rotten Tomatoes audience score. According to Box Office Mojo, it's only the sixth time that video game adaptation has achieved a score higher than B. And this is actually the fourth Pokemon movie to achieve an A-, with three other films on the charts. Box Office Mojo also predicts a domestic run between $145-165 million, which would easily make it the highest grossing video game adaptation, topping the likes of The Angry Birds Movie, Rampage, Hitman, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, and Prince of Persia.
In related news, Pokemon GO is having a movie tie-in special event, as we reported last week. Those who managed to get a weekend screening probably got their exclusive Pokemon Trading Card Game goodies, as we reported last month. And if that's not enough Pokemon news for you, you might also be happy to know there's another Pokemon mobile game in development by DeNA in partnership with The Pokemon Company. The franchise is stronger than ever, and you can probably expect a sequel to Pokemon: Detective Pikachu based on its success as well.
Did you have a chance to catch Pokemon: Detective Pikachu over the weekend? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!