FRIDAY PM UPDATE: Illumination/Universal‘s Minions & Monsters is creating less frenzy then expected with a 5-day start of $63.5M in North America versus the $80M that was hoped.
Current 3-day is $38.5M at 4,243 theaters, making Minions & Monsters easily No. 1. Note some exhibitors noticed in their forecasts that the little guys could be this low. And yes, that’s the lowest 3-day and 5-day opening in the Despicable Me/Minions franchise. Previous 3-day low came from the first film back in 2010 which was $56.3M not accounting for inflation. This is the third time that Universal has opened the Despicable/Minions movie on a Wednesday over the July 4th stretch after 2013’s Despicable Me 2 ($143M) and 2024’s Despicable Me 4 ($122.6M). 2022’s Rise of Gru was a 4-day opening with $123M.
Friday is looking at $16M for Minions & Monsters, +48% from Thursday and so far the highest grossing domestic day for the Pierre Coffin-directed and -voiced sequel.
If the domestic $63.5M holds, we know that Minions & Monsters will clear at least $101M WW when you factor in last weekend’s foreign opening from ten territories, in addition to those which opened on Wednesday and Thursday, that foreign cume as of this AM being $37.6M. The giggle guys typically rally abroad with at least 60% or more of their global take coming from foreign ticket sales.
Second at the domestic B.O. goes to the third weekend of Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5 at 3,975 theaters with $13M today, and an estimated 3-day of $30M, -58%, for a running cume by Sunday of $365.3M.
Third is Angel Studio/Wonder Project’s Young Washington at 2,700 sites and ahead of its $15M projection with an estimated $16M-$17M. Today is $7.5M. Critics are so-so at 60% fresh, but audiences love it at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
William Franklyn-Miller in ‘Young Washington’
Angel Studios
Fourth goes Warner Bros/DC Studio’s Supergirl at 3,602 locations with a second Friday that’s $4M and a second estimated weekend of $10M, currently a -73% nosedive; not as bad as Joker: Folie a Deux‘s -81% second frame drop, but the same as The Flash‘s. Ten-day total by Sunday is $48.8M.
Fifth is Universal/Amblin’s Disclosure Day with a fourth weekend of $5.6M, -32% after a $2.2M Friday and a running cume by Sunday of $104.8M.
PREVIOUS THURSDAY AM UPDATE AFTER EXCLUSIVE: Illumination/Universal’s Minions & Monsters came in ahead of where we spotted it Wednesday with $14.23M and an A- CinemaScore.
With the movie rising to 69 territories overall this weekend (10 of those released last weekend), note that even if domestic eases here for the seventh movie in the 16-year-old Gru-and-little-guys franchise, overseas will take over. International box office typically delivers some 60%-plus for these movies. Two of them crossed a billion — 2015’s Minions and 2017’s Despicable Me 3–but three of ’em came close to $1B, that being 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, 2013’s Despicable Me 2 and 2024’s Despicable Me 4.
As far as that A- goes, it’s the second one for the Illumination franchise after Despicable Me 3.
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5 made $7.8M on Wednesday, off by 38% from Tuesday’s $12.6M. The running cume for the Andrew Stanton-directed movie is $326.6M. Warner Bros/DC’s Supergirl was third with $2.1M and a running six-day total of $46.5M.
RELATED: ‘Minions & Monsters’ Voice Cast Guide: From Jeff Bridges To Zoey Deutch
PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE: Illumination/Universal’s Minions & Monsters is posting an estimated $13.75M opening day — that’s without any previews. The Chris Melandandri-produced, Pierre Coffin-directed animated movie is the seventh title in the Despicable Me and Minions $5.6 billion global grossing franchise, and it’s easily No. 1 for today.
There’s a lot of runway left in the holiday weekend, especially with July 4th falling on a Saturday, which happened most recently in 2020, 2015 and 2009. Due to holiday activities, typically there’s a falloff in moviegoing on July 4, but Friday and Sunday will be high for a family film such as Minions & Monsters.
While Minions & Monsters is posting the fourth-best opening Wednesday for an animated movie in July behind Despicable Me 2 ($35M), Despicable Me 4 ($27.2M) and 2009’s Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($13.79M), the latest Illumination title is the best reviewed ever for the 16-year-old franchise at 90% certified fresh. The tracking forecast for Minions & Monsters was $80M, but exhibitor projections were wide between $60M-$90M. The film cost a net $85M before global P&A spend, we understand.
Minions & Monsters follows the early days of Gru’s little henchman in the 1920s heyday of Hollywood from their rise and fall and rise again as movie stars and defenders of Earth against an alien invasion. Minions & Monsters made $10M+ from 10 offshore territories last weekend including France, Belgium and France.
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5 is No. 2 for Wednesday, we hear, with $7M-$8M, for a running cume around $326M in its second week.
RELATED: ‘Toy Story 5’ Review: Pixar’s Franchise Hits The Bull’s-Eye With A Tech-Savvy Return To Form
Among 5-day animated openings over the Independence Day holiday, Despicable Me 2 owns the record at $143M, followed by Despicable Me 4 at $122.6M.
Also opening on Friday is Angel Studios and Wonder Project’s historical biopic Young Washington starring Andy Serkis, Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Kingsley, Kelsey Grammer and William Franklyn-Miller as the Father of Our Country.
