Families went crazy for the Minions this weekend at the movies. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” has grossed an estimated $108.5 million in ticket sales from 4,391 screens in North America, Universal Pictures said on Sunday. By the end of the July 4 holiday on Monday, he will likely have earned more than $127.9 million.
The film is on track to become the biggest opening in 4th of July holiday weekend history, a record previously held by “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” which grossed $115.9 million at its box office. first four days of 2011. Includes international screenings, where “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is playing in 61 markets, its worldwide gross is $202.2 million as of Sunday.
“It’s a tremendous debut,” said Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution for Universal. “It’s doing very broadly in North America. All the markets are doing extraordinarily well.”
This is just the latest in a string of hits from Universal’s family releases, including “Sing 2,” which has grossed more than $406 million since its December release, and “The Bad Guys,” which has grossed more than $243 million. . “Minions: The Rise of Gru” serves as further proof that family audiences are willing to return to the movies.
“Families feel very comfortable taking all of their children to the theater,” Orr said. “These results speak for themselves.”
“Minions 2” attracted all ages to the theater, even the smallest. According to PostTrak surveys, 12 percent were under 10 years old.
“For many months there was this idea that family audiences were not going to return to the theater. We can put that aside,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
The spin-off of the popular series “Despicable Me” was delayed two years due to the pandemic. The sequel to the 2015 film “Minions” was originally scheduled for release in July 2020. While many other animated family films opted for streaming or hybrid releases, “Minions,” like “Top Gun: Maverick,” it stayed the course and waited for the ideal moment to be released only in theaters. And just like “Top Gun,” the wait was apparently worth it.
“This turned into an event. It was a holiday weekend, the release date was perfect, the marketing was perfect,” Dergarabedian said. “And everyone knew this would only be in theaters.”
The voice cast features Steve Carell, reprising his role as Gru, Alan Arkin, Michelle Yeoh, and Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother. Reviews were mixed to positive (it currently has a 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences were more enthusiastic, giving Gru’s origin story an A CinemaScore.
Universal and Illumination have had huge success with the five “Despicable Me” movies and spin-offs, dating back to 2010 and grossing more than $3.7 billion at the worldwide box office.
In second place was “Top Gun: Maverick,” which continues to deliver six weeks later, adding another $25.5 million to its total, which has already surpassed $1 billion. The Paramount Pictures film is still playing in 3,843 venues.
Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” ranked third, down just 39 percent in its second weekend in theaters. The Baz Luhrmann film has grossed an estimated $19 million through Sunday, bringing its domestic total to $67.3 million.
Fourth and fifth place also went to Universal titles with “Jurassic World: Dominion” picking up another $15.7 million and horror film “The Black Phone” adding $12.3 million through Sunday.
Meanwhile, Disney’s “Lightyear” fell further in its third weekend with an estimated $6.5 million. By Monday, that total should rise to $8.1 million, bringing his cumulative earnings to $106.9 million.
Bleecker Street premiered “Mr. Malcolm’s List” this weekend on 1,384 screens in the United States and Canada. The Regency-era comedy of manners stars Freida Pinto and Zawe Ashton as friends seeking revenge on a fussy bachelor. The studio estimates the film will have $851,853 at the end of Sunday and more than $1 million at the end of Monday.
Audiences are also catching up with A24’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which added an estimated $552,000 from 607 screens, though it’s also available to rent on demand. The studio’s newest title, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” expanded to 22 screens this weekend and is expected to gross around $308,000 by the end of Monday.
According to Comscore, the weekend as a whole will be 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 theaters in the US and Canada, according to Comscore. Final national figures will be released on 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. “Light Year,” $6.6 million.
7. “List of Mr. Malcolm, $851,853.
8. “Everything everywhere, everything at once,” $551,974.
9. “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” $390,000.
10. “JugJugg Jeeyo,” $318,000.