Well, a lower-than-expected debut for Universal’s Minions & Monsters, even if it still inevitably topped the Independence Day weekend. It did its part in five select years when Gru and/or his Minions would waltz into town and steamroll the competition (the only exceptions were the first Despicable Me and the first Minions, as they opened after the July 4th weekend). But it’s still only $36.4 million over the Fri-Sun weekend and $61.44 million since Wednesday.
That means it’s the lowest among the franchise’s sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and follow-ups. Yes, the well-received “1920s hoorway for Hollywood’s progression” film earned 39% less than Despicable Me 3 in its debut and was 50% lower than Minions 2 and Despicable Me 4. And a friggin’ far cry from Despicable Me 2‘s $143 million Wed-Sun opening thirteen years ago. Could competition from Toy Story 5 or the overtly leggiest Obsession have pulled from its performance? Not really, as it’s been a sky-high tide for films in the past three months thanks to clever originals, IP follow-ups people have wanted to see, and a resurgence in FOMO events that you can only enjoy at the cinema.
Folks could clamor that “making a movie inside another movie” wasn’t the ideal gesture, but ask the likes of Argo, La La Land, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as successful breakouts. If we look at the legs relative to their predecessors, the third installment of Minions will reach around $700 million worldwide, which isn’t a cry for help but rather an affirmation that Gru and his yellow friends can’t save the world every time the summer rolls around. All that said, the Minions trilogy has now earned $2.25 billion worldwide, following $1.15 billion for its 2015 rollout and $940 million for Rise of Gru. Including the four Despicable Me outings, the series has surpassed $5.75 billion worldwide on a $759 million budget. So, Universal still has sufficient legs to continue going, even if fatigue has started to set in. Then again, they’ll be basking in nostalgic favors with Shrek 5 set for July 2027 and Donkey slated for July 2028. And whether we have to wait until 2029 for Despicable Me 5 (unless another Jurassic World or Super Mario 3 takes the cake), they’ll still be riding high for years to come.
Toy Story 5 fell to second place in its third weekend, earning $31 million over the Fri-Sun weekend. With it having passed $764 million worldwide, we have come to the conclusion that it’s falling faster than its predecessor in terms of legs (a 44% dip in its third weekend). It may still reach $500 million domestically and will very likely pass $1 billion worldwide.
Young Washington pulled great numbers to take the bronze position this Fri-Sun weekend with $20.8 million, joining the likes of David and King of Kings from last year for over/under $20 million debuts. It’s a well-crafted film that coincides with 250 years of America’s independence and is not overly jingoistic, telling the tale of the first president overcoming obstacles posed by the British Army.
Supergirl indeed collapsed further as expected in its second weekend, with only $9.6 million and “just” passing $100 million worldwide. Its domestic total ($58.47 million) is roughly what Superman grossed on its first day, and Shazam! opened with its debut back in 2019. Hooray that it has sold more tickets than the 1984 Supergirl (inflation-adjusted), and le boo for a mediocre product that’s only now having folks, pundits, and folks at WB wondering if James Gunn and Peter Safran are pulling the same tricks that collapsed the previous universe under their regime. It’s not a statement about “women in charge flailing at the box office” when the likes of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel can attest otherwise. Make a product that lands for folks, not only because someone said “we needed another red and blue superhero in tights” to show we rock. So, the second installment of DC Studios is a superbust. Please make it up with Clayface and Man of Tomorrow, guys.
Disclosure Day may have gotten a boost from Minions & Monsters with $6 million this Fri-Sun weekend, as it will probably wrap up around $220-240 million worldwide. Obsession is going to pass $250 million domestic sometime this week, which means it will have surpassed a $14.25x multiplier and will only be behind a handful of Christmas releases since the 1990s in domestic performance. Oh, and it has passed $403 million worldwide as well. Backrooms is not too far behind it, passing $350 million worldwide sometime tonight, and will pass $200 million domestic sometime by this Thursday/Friday.
Next weekend sees the release of Moana, Evil Dead Burn, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, Night Nurse, and Westhampton.
