Score another one for the little yellow guys. Minions and Monsters tops the July 4 box office with $36 million from 4,243 North American theaters. Not bad for a holiday weekend. The 1920s Hollywood-set prequel in the Despicable Me universe has pulled in $64.5 million since opening Wednesday. Universal wanted $80 million over the five days. It fell short of that goal. But first place is first place.
The Holiday Calendar Played a Role
There’s a pretty simple explanation for the softer turnout. July 4 fell on a Saturday this year. That’s normally the biggest moviegoing day of the week, and instead millions of families spent it at barbecues watching fireworks for America’s 250th birthday. The whole industry braced for a quiet weekend because of it.
Yes, the opening lands below Minions: The Rise of Gru and Despicable Me 4, which both blew past $120 million over the same stretch. Neither of those films had to fight a Saturday holiday, though. Or a summer schedule this stacked.
Minions & Monsters Tops a Crowded Weekend
Some of the sky-is-falling takes on this opening feel overcooked. This is the seventh movie in the franchise. Seventh! No series on earth keeps hitting its peak numbers that deep into a run, and anyone expecting another $120 million launch was dreaming. The film beat everything else in theaters on a holiday weekend. That still counts for something.
And the competition was real. Toy Story 5 grabbed another $31 million in weekend five, pushing its haul to $366 million domestically and $764 million worldwide. Box office analyst David A. Gross pointed out that no animated series has ever reached seven entries before. A little audience fatigue after 16 years? Hardly shocking.
Universal and Illumination can also point overseas, where the numbers look great. Pierre Coffin‘s prequel took in $86 million internationally this weekend alone. Global total so far: $159.8 million. The budget came in at a lean $85 million, cheaper than past entries. These movies always hang around theaters for months, so don’t count this one out yet.
‘Young Washington’ Soars While ‘Supergirl’ Sinks
While Minions and Monsters tops the charts, the weekend delivered one genuine shocker. Young Washington opened third with $20.8 million from just 2,700 theaters. Angel Studios timed its patriotic drama to Independence Day, and faith-based audiences showed up in force.
Supergirl went the other direction. Hard. The Warner Bros. and DC adaptation cratered 74% in weekend two, scraping together $9.6 million. Its totals sit at $58.5 million domestic and $100.5 million worldwide against a $170 million budget. Losses could top $100 million.
Two more quick notes from the charts. The Invite, the dinner party comedy with Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen, snuck into the top ten from a mere 28 screens before its July 10 national expansion. And Jackass: Best and Last fell 68% to $2.7 million.
The Minions Box Office Win Faces New Competition
Now things get interesting. Disney’s live-action Moana with Dwayne Johnson hits theaters next weekend. Evil Dead Burn brings the gore later this month. Then Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day close out July with a bang.
Soft holiday or not, this remains the best summer theaters have seen since the pandemic. Cross $4 billion and it becomes only the second post-COVID summer to do it. The Minions got the party started. Moana, Odysseus, and Peter Parker have to keep it going.
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