In a world where high-budget blockbuster movies are struggling at the box office A Minecraft Movie has come out of the blocks flying, taking $163m in the US and Canada in its opening weekend and $151 million in the rest of the world.
The movie seems to have connected with its intended young gaming demographic, and many of them will be delighted to experience the cutting-edge interactive ‘holographic’ experiences that have popped up across the USA this week across 30 Simon and four Macerich malls.
A partnership between Warner Bros. Pictures and the Hologram Media Network (HMN) is encouraging Minecraft fans to stand in front of person-sized frames from Proto Hologram that turns them into characters from the movie. While dubbed ‘holograms’, they are, in truth, digital avatars, rendered into 3D by Los Angeles-based creative studio Pretty Big Monster. Adding to the realism, the 3D creation inside the box reflects light onto the physical bezel of the Proto frame, creating a shadow effect that grounds it in the world.
Thanks to integrated 3D body-tracking cameras these full-size 3D avatars mimic the actions of the person standing in front of the frame, creating an engagingly interactive experience that bests static posters or passive video content. As can be seen the video, kids, and even adults, are drawn to the interactive advertising.
Combining Physical and Digital
A fascinating example of how the physical and digital worlds are merging, Proto Hologram tech is essentially a new form of video interaction that delivers an increased sense of “presence”. As well as the entertainment industry the tech has been widely adopted by several Fortune 500 companies and for enhancing medical telepresence, enabling experts to provide remote healthcare.
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In these cases, instead of 3D avatars, a high-resolution video of a person in front of a screen is streamed to the frame, making it look as if they are standing inside it. Thanks to a camera and built-in speakers they can interact with those watching the frame projection, wherever in the world they are.
Proto tech can be found is in over 50 universities worldwide and dozens of major sports arenas — and now movie advertising.
While a first for Warner Bros. Picture, similar Holographic Media Network experiences have been used to support two previous movies: for Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in December 2024 and Sony Pictures’ Paddington in Peru in February 2025.
“With A Minecraft Movie, we launched a nationally scalable, in-person 3D experience—no headsets, no glasses required,” said Andrew Felts, the CEO of Hologram Media Network. “In a single day at Roosevelt Field Mall, over 750 people stepped into the activation, transforming into holograms of in-game creatures. That’s one fully immersive experience every 45 seconds, sustained for 10 straight hours—watched live by more than 30,000 on-site viewers.”
In addition, Snapchat has also partnered with Warner Bros. and HMN to launch a collection of four AR Lens experiences (overlaying 3D effects and objects into the world), dubbed Blockify Your World, that also including the 3D body tracking lens. This debuted in a one-day event at Roosevelt Field Mall in New York and showcased four different AR Lenses inspired by the world of A Minecraft Movie.
“Combining hologram technology with Snapchat augmented reality unlocks an exciting new world of storytelling capabilities,” said Adam Katzenback, head of entertainment creative strategy at Snap Inc. “Together, Snap, HMN, and Warner Brothers are inviting fans to literally step into the world of Minecraft in a way that’s creative and playful, just like Snapchat.”
HMN expects to have 100 more Proto Hologram units installed in the U.S. by the end of 2025 and has plans to launch in Japan.
