News

Promotion for ‘A Minecraft Movie’ hasn’t featured many creators. Enter Quackity.

As A Minecraft Movie approaches its April 4 premiere date, distributor Warner Bros. has enacted a wide-reaching marketing strategy. Promotional tie-ins have included a limited-time McDonald’s menu and a partnership with cosmetics brand Nyx. But amidst that promotional flurry, a nagging question has lingered: Where are all the creators?

The Let’s Play stars, machinima artists, and immersive storytellers who feature Minecraft in YouTube videos deserve places in A Minecraft Movie‘s promotional blitz. Without them, Minecraft wouldn’t be nearly the cultural phenomenon it has become. Across 15 years of activity, the blocky sandbox game has hauled in more than a trillion YouTube views (and counting). The game’s top creators have parlayed their passion into numerous off-YouTube ventures.

It’s fair to suggest that A Minecraft Movie wouldn’t exist without Minecraft creators, which is why it’s so odd that those tastemakers haven’t factored into the film’s pre-release hype. One of the only influencer partnerships Warner Bros. sought was a cameo appearance from streamer Valkyrae, but thus far, her planned appearance has resulted in as much on-set gossip as excitement.

Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories

Subscribe

Finally, with about two weeks to go until A Minecraft Movie‘s premiere, the film’s lead scored some face time with one of the biggest Minecraft 

stars on the internet. Quackity, who reaches 6.4 million Twitch followers with his gaming streams, teamed up with Jack Black for a collab that went live on March 19.

Black prepared for the team-up with a unique form of method acting: He played more than 100 hours of Minecraft on set. For his trip to Quackity’s stream, he was accompanied by fellow Minecraft Movie cast members Emma Myers and Sebastian Eugene Hansen.

A Minecraft Movie can still fit in more collabs like this one, but time is running short. Warner Bros. could improve upon the film’s projected opening weekend box office of $58 million by turning creators like Aphmau, Preston, and DanTDM into promotional vehicles. Perhaps partnerships with stars of that caliber are in the works — or maybe the biggest names in Minecraft have embraced the sense of skepticism that has dogged this adaptation from the time it was first announced.

The success or failure of A Minecraft Movie could determine whether future creator-friendly properties get big-screen adaptations. If you want to see A Roblox Movie next, you can buy a ticket come April 4.

Share
Published by
Sam Gutelle

Recent Posts

Have you heard? YouTube mogs Clavicular, iGumdrop is a ‘MasterChef’, and ‘me at the zoo’ turns 21

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends,…

2 days ago

Students have become a scarce resource. Can schools use TikTok to combat the demographic cliff?

In the world of academia, a demographic cliff is looming, and TikTok might be the most reliable…

3 days ago

For creators, the outfit of the day is a crucial choice, so ShopMy is introducing personal shopping

ShopMy is offering a new solution for fashion influencers who obsess over their outfits. The influencer…

3 days ago

Instagram’s new app is yet another riff on Snapchat

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Instagram is copying Snapchat. The latter app is known for…

4 days ago

YouTube’s uninterruptive “side-by-side” live streaming ads have been spotted in the wild

YouTube is testing a new ad format that reinforces the platform's mission to make its…

4 days ago

The NHL wants to capitalize on Heated Rivalry’s fandom success

Hot hockey players are driving more views for the NHL--and we're not just talking about…

4 days ago