The LEGO Ninjago Movie The LEGO Ninjago Movie is a spin - off of " The LEGO Movie " released in theaters on September 22 , 2017 ( USA ) in 3D , 2D , Dolby Cinema and IMAX 3D by Warner Bros . Pictures . The film received generally mixed reviews from critics and has currently grossed $ 97 million worldwide against its $ 70 million budget . The film is based on the existing LEGO theme known as Ninjago , and was decided to be developed in response to the positive reception during the release of the official trailer for " The LEGO Movie " . Similar to the previous cinematic LEGO movies , " The LEGO Ninjago Movie " was created with a stop - motion style CGI . Plot . Original Overview . " Ninjas , samurais , and sensei fight side - by - side against dragons , armies of snake men , and a once - banished warlord who is now seeking to return to power . " Official Plot . " Ninjago is the story of six young ninja tasked with defending their island home , called Ninjago . By night , they ’ re gifted warriors , using their skill and awesome fleet of vehicles to fight villains and monsters . By day , they ’ re ordinary teens , struggling against their greatest enemy : high school . " Cast . Additional voices by Viola Baier , Craig Berry , Noël Brydebell , Fiona Cyprienne , Graham Elkins , Johnathan Elkins , Serena Elkins , Ryan Folsey , Maryann Garger , Mark Gillins , Jesse Goldsmith , Chris McKay , Matt McMillan , Yoriaki Mochizuki , Samantha Nisenboim , Madeleine Purdy , Magali Rigaudias , Carmen Perez - Marsa Roca , Jennifer Stellema , John Venzon , Natalie Wetzig , Tom Wheeler , Lauren White , and Jialing Danni Zhang . Development . The movie was first announced to be in development June 27 , 2013 ; in response to the positive reception from " The LEGO Movie ' s " Official Trailer . The development for a Ninjago movie was announced alongside the development of The LEGO Movie Sequel ; and it was eventually decided by LEGO to release the Ninjago movie first , pushing the date for the LEGO Movie Sequel back to 2018 ( and eventually pushed back to 2019 , being succeeded by " The LEGO Batman Movie ) " . The movie was written by brothers Dan and Kevin Hageman , who have also worked on " " and " The LEGO Movie . " On May 21 , 2014 , it was revealed that the release date of the film will be September 23 , 2016 and it would be written by Charlie Bean . Unlike the previous portrayal of the LEGO Ninjago theme as a television series in " " , the film was described to be set in a new universe that diverges from the show . The film was later announced to be delayed one year to 2017 . Filming . In order to give the film a more believable father - son atmosphere , Dave Franco and Justin Theroux recorded most of their lines where their characters interact with each other together in a single Recording studio . During the process , Franco openly admitted he found himself uncontrollably crying while recording some of his lines . Franco stated " I found myself getting caught up in the moment and basically crying harder than I have in any live - action movie I ’ ve ever been in " Animation . Similar to The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie , the film uses CGI animated bricks made to mimic " brickfilms " , or LEGO stop motion videos . However , a stark contrast between " The LEGO Ninjago Movie " and the previous theatrical LEGO movies is the non - brick environments that are used . Reception . Box Office . As of October 15 , 2017 , The Lego Ninjago Movie has grossed $ 51 . 6 million in the United States and Canada , and $ 45 . 4 million in other territories , for a worldwide total of $ 97 million . In North America , the film was released alongside Kingsman : The Golden Circle and Friend Request . Various tracking services had the film projected to gross anywhere from $ 27 – 44 million from 4 , 047 theaters in its opening weekend . However , after making $ 5 . 8 million on its first day , weekend projections were lowered to $ 21 million . It ended up debuting to $ 21 . 2 million , finishing third at the box office and ranking as the lowest opening of the Lego franchise by over 50 % . Critical Response . The Lego Ninjago Movie received mixed reviews from critics . On review website Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 53 % based on 109 reviews , with an average rating of 5 . 8 / 10 . The site ' s critical consensus reads , " Despite ample charm and a few solid gags , The Lego Ninjago Movie suggests this franchise ' s formula isn ' t clicking like it used to . " On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 , based on 33 critics , indicating " mixed or average reviews " . Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of " B + " on an A + to F scale . iMDB rated the movie 6 . 1 / 10 , while IGN gave it a 7 . 5 / 10 . 86 % of Google users liked the film .