logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
17m 31s

Did kids movies save Hollywood?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Films for children and young adults are giving a major boost to cinemas. The recent A Minecraft Movie smashed records, making $301 million globally in its opening weekend - the biggest ever for a video game adaptation.

In 2024, Inside Out 2 led the global box office earning $1.69 billion, followed by Despicable Me 4 and Kung Fu Panda.

Now, film studios are following these trends; fast-tracking sequels, producing more animations, and adapting popular video games into stories geared towards family audiences.

We speak to film producers, box office analysts and cinema operators about the strategies behind this shift and its impact on the industry.

If you'd like to contact the show, send an email to businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Megan Lawton Producer: Sam Gruet

(Picture: General view of a roadside billboard along the Sunset Strip promoting A Minecraft Movie, in April 2025, in West Hollywood, California, US. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Listen again: Power Players - Why are young Indians joining the Cockroach protests?
A chance to listen again as Will Bain and Rahul Tandon are joined by the BBC's India Business Correspondent Arunoday Mukherjee to look at the rise of the 'Cockroach movement'. They discuss the economic concerns of young people and the difficulties getting well paid jobsProducer: ... Show More
24m 30s
Apr 2026
Headspace: from mindfulness app to military partner
Headspace started life as a mindfulness app. Now it's partnering with the US Navy and investing in artificial intelligence for mental health support.The company's CEO Tom Pickett speaks to us about therapy, the increasing role of technology, and tackling burnout at scale.If you'd ... Show More
17m 28s
Apr 2026
Anthropic: the $300bn AI firm at war with the White House
Anthropic’s rise from startup to one of the world’s leading players in artificial intelligence has been staggering, but so in recent weeks has been its row with the US Government.Today, we look at that journey to becoming a 380 billion dollar company, ask why Claude has become on ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is the Most Important Movie of the Year So Far. And These Flicks Are the Best …
Sean and Amanda cover the absolute box office phenomenon ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a video game adaptation starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa. They explore the event film of the year and discuss why the theatergoing experience of the film is such a great thing for the industry at lar ... Show More
1h 28m
Apr 2025
A ‘Minecraft’ Megahit and the Studios Best Suited for Gen Z and Beyond
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the first surprise blockbuster of 2025, ‘A Minecraft Movie’; who deserves credit; what its success says about the current moment in IP-driven moviemaking; and whether video game adaptations are the new gold mine for attracting y ... Show More
31m 47s
Jul 2022
The box office roars back: ‘Minions’ opens at $125 million
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” opens to a huge weekend, and “Lightyear” doesn’t meet Disney’s expectations. The Business host Kim Masters and Puck News founder Matt Belloni discuss.   
5 m
Mar 2024
Buy-O-Pics: When Brands Become Movies
As Oscar night approaches, we head to theatres to figure out why movies about brands are so popular.“Barbie” is breaking box office records.“Air” tells the story of Nike signing Michael Jordan.“Blackberry” explains the spectacular rise and fall of the first smartphone – and is ge ... Show More
28m 11s
Jul 2024
Rapid Response: What’s the next Barbenheimer? with The Ankler’s Janice Min
Summer’s not so hot at the movie theaters, and the same goes for streaming. Nothing’s come close to last year’s Barbie-Oppenheimer success, and Janice Min of entertainment news startup Ankler Media can’t say she’s surprised. Janice vets Hollywood’s offerings for the summer entert ... Show More
25m 48s
Jan 2024
417: PFN - $1 Billion Box Office & Student Loan Forgiveness
Are movie theaters back from the brink of failure and is the latest student loan forgiveness program, SAVE, a good deal? We'll discuss this and more on Popcorn Finance NEWS! Today’s Number is 2 This is the number of movies that earned more than $1 Billion in 2023. Today’s Article ... Show More
11m 7s