Box Office: Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Looks to Blast Off With $70 Million Opening Weekend

Jordan Moreau “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” the latest animated entry in the family-friend “Despicable Me” franchise, opened to $10.75 million in Thursday previews from 3,350 theaters in North America. It will expand to 4,391 theaters on Friday.Heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” is expected to gross between $65 million and $75 million in its extra-long opening. Those current projections forecast that the fifth entry in the animated franchise is on track for the lowest opening since the original “Despicable Me” picked up $56 million back in 2010.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTiny yellow henchmen will attempt to spark fireworks at the box office over the July 4 weekend.“Minions: The Rise of Gru,” the fifth installment in Universal and Illumination’s popular “Despicable Me” franchise, is headed for a first-place finish, with the family film expected to bring in $65 million to $75 million from 4,400 North American theaters during the extended holiday period. Though it’s the only new nationwide release, “Minions” will have to fend off holdover titles including Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and Pixar’s “Lightyear.”The well-reviewed “Minions: The Rise of Gru” looks to test the viability of kid-friendly animated flicks on the big screen.

“Elvis”‘ opening of $30.5 million is on the top end of pre-weekend projections, with Warner Bros. reporting strong turnout from Elvis Presley’s home state of Tennessee with theaters in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas joining the usual Los Angeles and New York theaters in the top 10 highest grossing locations for the film. In addition, “Elvis” has been successful in bringing older audiences back to theaters, as Warner Bros.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterIn a bizarre box office battle, “Elvis and “Top Gun: Maverick” have tied for first place, with each film bringing in $30.5 million over the weekend.“Elvis” and “Top Gun: Maverick” were locked in a close battle all weekend as the King of Rock and Roll took the No. 1 spot on Friday and dropped to second place on Saturday. The final results will be tallied on Monday.Overall, it’s an encouraging weekend at the box office as five movies are putting up sizable results.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFollowing BTS’ announcement that they will be focusing on solo projects in the coming months, the group’s J-Hope announced on the Weverse platform early Saturday that he will release a solo album called “Jack in the Box” on July 15. The first single single will drop next week, on July 1.According to the official announcement, “Jack in the Box” lends voice to J-Hope’s aspirations to break the mold and grow further.

J. Kim Murphy It’s a 20th century showdown at the domestic box office this weekend, with the baby boomer epic “Elvis” contending against Gen X revamp “Top Gun: Maverick” for the top spot on domestic charts.Director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic about the King of Rock and Roll is projected to draw $30 million from 3,906 theaters in its opening.

Such a result for Baz Luhrmann’s biopic on The King of Rock and Roll would match pre-weekend projections and be just below the $31 million earned by the 2019 Elton John musical “Rocketman.” Reception has also been strong with an A- on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 79% critics and 93% audience. But “Elvis” still has a way to go before it reaches profitability with a reported $85 million budget.

ABC channel KOCO 5 on Tuesday that they had taken down the sign and won’t be fast-forwarding. 89er Theater in Kingfisher, Oklahoma is paying someone to fast forward through the same sex kiss in Lightyear pic.twitter.com/wXYIf8o9VtOne woman who took her two sons to the movie told KOCO she didn’t mind the scene.

J. Kim Murphy Infinity isn’t a practical milestone at the box office, so Disney’s “Lightyear” will have to settle for a $20.7 million opening day and beyond.Pixar’s spinoff of its “Toy Story” franchise blasted off on Thursday night with a respectable $5.2 million from preview screenings.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaDisney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” blasted off with a respectable $5.2 million in Thursday previews.The film, a spinoff of the “Toy Story” franchise, looks at the fictional astronaut character who was in a movie the inspired the Buzz Lightyear action figure who enchanted Andy and who later became BFFs with Woody (got that?). But this Buzz Lightyear, much to Patricia Heaton’s rather evocative dismay, is voiced not by Tim Allen, whose dulcet pipes graced all four “Toy Story” flicks, but by the Star Command-ing cadences of one Chris Evans.“Lightyear” is expected to launch to between $70 million to $80 million and will screen in 4,200 North American theaters. That should be a big enough number to secure first place at the box office, as well as all the attendant bragging rights that come with that perch.

Buzz Lightyear origin story from Pixar Animation Studios and Disney releases in cinemas this Friday. The movie, which is a spin-off from the studio’s legendary Toy Story film series, will show Buzz as the astronaut the toy is based on, who winds up stranded many lightyears from Earth and on a desperate mission to return home.

Speaking her mind! Patricia Heaton didn’t hold back when it came to the decision to make Lightyear without Tim Allen.

The third installment in the "Jurassic World" franchise, "Jurassic World: Dominion," opened this past weekend with $143.3 million in box office sales in North America alone.The Universal Pictures film also grossed $398 million globally, with studio estimates optimistic as the film heads into its second week in theaters.  "Jurassic World 3" is the sixth in the entire Jurassic Parks franchise, opening in 72 international markets, according to Variety. China rounded in as the top international market, raking in $52.5 million in the film's opening weekend.  The newest Jurassic World includes several reprisal roles from the original cast, including Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.  Despite its successful opening, "Dominion" falls behind the "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" opening weekend ($148 million) and the original 2015 "Jurassic World" opening weekend ($208.8 million).

The third installment in the "Jurassic World" franchise, "Jurassic World: Dominion," opened this past weekend with $143.3 million in box office sales in North America alone.The Universal Pictures film also grossed $398 million globally, with studio estimates optimistic as the film heads into its second week in theaters.  "Jurassic World 3" is the sixth in the entire Jurassic Parks franchise, opening in 72 international markets, according to Variety. China rounded in as the top international market, raking in $52.5 million in the film's opening weekend.  The newest Jurassic World includes several reprisal roles from the original cast, including Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.  Despite its successful opening, "Dominion" falls behind the "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" opening weekend ($109 million) and the original 2015 "Jurassic World" opening weekend ($62 million).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA powerfully impressive opening by “Jurassic World Dominion” and a partial reopening of cinemas gave China its biggest box office weekend in more than three months. The dinosaur franchise movie earned $53 million (RMB355 million) in three days in China, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The film chewed off a massive 88% share of the total weekend market.