‘Minions & Monsters’ Had Franchise Low Opening—But Could Still Be An International Hit
“Minions & Monsters,” the third film in Universal Studios’ “Despicable Me” spinoff series, only grossed about $36.4 million over the traditional weekend in North American theaters—a new low for the animated children's franchise at the domestic box office, although the film will likely be saved by strong ticket sales overseas.
“Minions & Monsters” came in far behind industry projections—BoxOffice Pro estimated it would gross somewhere in the $65-75 million range last week.
However, the Universal animated film opened in theaters two days early, and its total gross with the two added days is now $61.4 million, according to figures reported by Deadline.
The poor showing could be a result of the holiday weekend—the Fourth of July fell on a Saturday, which is typically a big day for theaters, and many families may have opted to watch fireworks or celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary instead.
The new “Minions” film still led the box office over the traditional weekend, although “Toy Story 5” was close behind grossing an estimated $31 million over its fifth week in theaters, after previously shattering franchise records for the Disney and Pixar series.
It was also a huge hit in international markets—grossing an estimated $98 since Wednesday for a total worldwide gross of about $159 million.
“Minions & Monsters” had an estimated budget of $85 million, the Associated Press reported, meaning the film is already on its way to turning a profit even with theaters keeping about half of ticket sales.
“Minions & Monsters” came in about $20 million short of the very first film in Universal’s now-beloved franchise. “Despicable Me” was released in theaters as a new franchise in 2010, and even still managed to gross about $56.3 million at domestic theaters. The film went on to gross an estimated $544 million internationally.
The Fourth of July weekend also looked rough for “Supergirl,” which suffered a brutal 74% drop in ticket sales over the traditional weekend after a disappointing opening. The newest DC superhero film only grossed about $38 million over its opening weekend—a far cry from the $125 million opening for “Superman” last year. “Supergirl” grossed about $9.6 million since Friday, placing it behind “Minions & Monsters,” “Toy Story 5,” and “Young Washington,” an Angel Studios historical drama that managed to gross an estimated $20.8 million over the Independence Day holiday.