Box office The Lego Movie grossed $258 million in the United States and Canada and $212.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $470.7 million. In the United States and Canada,
The Lego Movie was released with
The Monuments Men and
Vampire Academy on February 7, 2014. It earned $17.2 million on its first day, including $425,000 from Thursday night previews. During its opening weekend, the film earned $69.1 million from 3,775 theaters.
The Lego Movie attracted a mostly diverse audience, with about 64 percent for Caucasians, Hispanic 16 percent, African-American 12 percent, and Asian 8 percent, as well as 41 percent being under 18 years of age. Its second weekend earnings dropped by 28 percent to $49.8 million, and followed by another $31.3 million the third weekend. The latter made it the second-highest third weekend for any animated film, trailing only behind
Shrek 2.
The Lego Movie completed its theatrical run in the United States and Canada on September 4, 2014. Worldwide,
The Lego Movie earned $69.1 million in its opening weekend in 34 markets. On its opening weekend elsewhere, the top countries were the United Kingdom ($13.4 million), Australia ($5.7 million), Russia ($3.9 million), Mexico ($3.8 million), The film had the strongest start for a non-sequel animated film in the United Kingdom ahead of
The Simpsons Movie and
Up. It would remain as the country's highest opening weekend for a 2014 film until it was surpassed by
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that spring. , its top international markets were the United Kingdom ($57 million), Australia ($20 million), and Germany ($13.1 million).
Critical response The Lego Movie was met with universal acclaim. The critical consensus reads, "Boasting beautiful animation, a charming voice cast, laugh-a-minute gags, and a surprisingly thoughtful story,
The Lego Movie is colorful fun for all ages." Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. with Peter Debruge of
Variety adding that Lord and Miller "irreverently deconstruct the state of the modern blockbuster and deliver a smarter, more satisfying experience in its place, emerging with a fresh franchise for others to build upon". Susan Wloszczyna of
RogerEbert.com gave the film four stars out of four, writing, "It still might be a 100-minute commercial, but at least it's a highly entertaining and, most surprisingly, a thoughtful one with in-jokes that snap, crackle and zoom by at warp speed." Tom Huddleston of
Time Out said, "The script is witty, the satire surprisingly pointed, and the animation tactile and imaginative." Drew Hunt of the
Chicago Reader said the filmmakers "fill the script with delightfully absurd one-liners and sharp pop culture references", with
A. O. Scott of
The New York Times noting that, "Pop-culture jokes ricochet off the heads of younger viewers to tickle the world-weary adults in the audience, with just enough sentimental goo applied at the end to unite the generations. Parents will dab their eyes while the kids roll theirs."
Claudia Puig of
USA Today called the film "a spirited romp through a world that looks distinctively familiar, and yet freshly inventive." Liam Lacey of
The Globe and Mail asked, "Can a feature-length toy commercial also work as a decent kids' movie? The bombast of the
G.I. Joe and
Transformers franchises might suggest no, but after an uninspired year for animated movies,
The Lego Movie is a 3-D animated film that connects." Joel Arnold of
NPR acknowledged that the film "may be one giant advertisement, but all the way to its plastic-mat foundation, it's an earnest piece of work—a cash grab with a heart".
Peter Travers of
Rolling Stone called the film "sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding". Michael O'Sullivan of
The Washington Post said that, "While clearly filled with affection for—and marketing tie-ins to—the titular product that's front and center, it's also something of a sharp plastic brick flung in the eye of its corporate sponsor." Moira MacDonald of
The Seattle Times, while generally positive, found "it falls apart a bit near the end".
Alonso Duralde of
The Wrap said the film "will doubtless tickle young fans of the toys. It's just too bad that a movie that encourages you to think for yourself doesn't follow its own advice." Sandie Angulo Chen of
Common Sense Media gives a rate of four stars out of five, saying, "It's a testament to the veteran animation filmmakers that this one is so smart, humorous, and visually fun to watch." She praised the voice cast, cameos, "laugh-aloud one-liners, and a live-action interlude that is surprisingly touching." She also noted the messages and "sophisticated criticisms of popular culture and consumerism" in the movie, but other than that, she calls it "not just your typical animated adventure."
The Lego Movie was included on a number of best-of lists. It was listed on many critics' top ten lists in 2014, ranking fifteenth. Several publications have listed the film as one of the best animated films, including:
Insider,
USA Today (2018),
Rolling Stone (2019),
Parade,
Time Out New York, and
Empire (all 2021). The film was also named by filmmaker
Edgar Wright and
Time film critic
Richard Corliss as one of their favorite films of 2014 and acclaimed actress
Tilda Swinton named it her favorite film of 2014.
Other responses Conservative political commentator
Glenn Beck praised the film for avoiding "the double meanings and adult humor I just hate".
Oscar host
Neil Patrick Harris referenced
The Lego Movie not being nominated for
Best Animated Feature, which many critics considered a snub, saying prior to the award's presentation, "If you're at the Oscar party with the guys who directed
The Lego Movie, now would be a great time to distract them."
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson criticized the film's anti-corporate message, saying that it taught children that "government is good and business is bad", citing the villain's name of Lord Business. "That's done for a reason", Johnson told
WisPolitics.com, "They're starting that propaganda, and it's insidious". The comments were criticized by many, and
Russ Feingold brought up the comments on the campaign trail during his
2016 Senate bid against Johnson.
Accolades At the
87th Academy Awards,
The Lego Movie received a nomination for
Best Original Song. Its other nominations include six
Annie Awards (winning one), a
British Academy Film Award (which it won), two
Critics' Choice Movie Awards (winning one), and a
Golden Globe Award. The
National Board of Review named
The Lego Movie one of the
ten-best films of 2014; it also won
Best Original Screenplay. ==Other media==