‘Minions’ sets box office on fire with $108.5 million debut
Families went bananas for Minions this weekend at the movie theater. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” brought in an estimated $108.5 million in ticket sales from 4,391 screens in North America, Universal Pictures said Sunday. By the end of the Monday’s July Fourth holiday, it will likely have earned over $127.9 million.
The film is on track to become one of the biggest openings ever for a July Fourth holiday weekend, a record previously held by “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” which made $115.9 million in its first four days in 2011. Including international showings, where “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is playing in 61 markets, its worldwide gross is sitting at $202.2 million through Sunday.
“Minions 2” attracted all ages to the theater, even the very young. According to PostTrak surveys, 12% were under the age of 10.
The spinoff of the popular “Despicable Me” series was delayed two years because of the pandemic. While many other animated family films opted for streaming or hybrid releases, “Minions,” much like “Top Gun: Maverick,” stayed the course and waited for an ideal time to launch in theaters only. And as with “Top Gun” the wait, it seems, was worth it.
The voice cast features Steve Carell, reprising his role as Gru, Alan Arkin, Michelle Yeoh and Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother. Critics were mixed to positive (it currently has a 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences were more enthusiastic, giving the Gru origin story an A CinemaScore.
In second place was “Top Gun: Maverick,” which continues to deliver six weeks in, adding another $25.5 million to its total, which has already surpassed $1 billion. The Paramount Pictures film is still playing in 3,843 locations.
Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” took third place, down only 39 percent in its second weekend in theaters. The Baz Luhrmann film grossed an estimated $19 million through Sunday, bringing its domestic total to $67.3 million.
Fourth and fifth place went to Universal titles as well with “Jurassic World: Dominion” picking up another $15.7 million and the horror movie “The Black Phone” adding $12.3 million through Sunday.
Disney’s “Lightyear,” meanwhile, tumbled further in its third weekend with an estimated $6.5 million. By Monday, that total should raise to $8.1 million bringing its cumulative earnings to $106.9 million.
According to Comscore, the weekend as a whole will go down as one of the biggest of the pandemic era. And the momentum is expected to continue with the release of Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” next week.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.
1. “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” $108.5 million.
2. “Top Gun: Maverick,” $25.5 million.
3. “Elvis,” $19 million.
4. “Jurassic World: Dominion,” $15.7 million.
5. “The Black Phone,” $12.3 million.
6. “Lightyear,” $6.6 million.
7. “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” $851,853.
8. “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” $551,974.
9. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” $390,000.
10. “JugJugg Jeeyo,” $318,000.