‘Lightyear’ Blasts Off to $5.2 Million at Thursday Box Office

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterGet ready for more Marvel mania.Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth standalone story about Chris Hemsworth’s hulking God of Thunder and the second (of three) Marvel movies to play in theaters in 2022, is gearing up to turbocharge the domestic box office. The nth sequel in the sprawling MCU is expected to bring in anywhere from $145 million to $155 million over the weekend, with some estimates reaching as high as $170 million.

breaking a decade-old July 4th holiday-weekend box office record and becoming the 11th animated film in box office history and the first since “Frozen II” to earn an opening weekend of over $100 million. The “Minions” sequel tallied $125 million over the four-day holiday weekend, cementing the idea that family audiences feel comfortable returning the theaters in large numbers after a long pandemic-fueled lull.The $400 million global run of Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” this past spring was the first sign that family films were making a comeback, but the struggles of Disney/Pixar’s “Lightyear” last month created some doubt in Hollywood over whether the video game adaptation’s success was a fluke.

The previous record for the July 4 weekend was set back in 2011 by “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” with $115.9 million. Despite a two-year delay forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minions and the “Despicable Me” franchise they came from have not faded in popularity, drawing both families and general audiences in equal parts. The film in particular got a strong turnout from teens, who Universal reports accounted for roughly a third of the weekend’s audience.

Naman Ramachandran The total U.K. and Ireland box office for June 2022 was £95.7 million ($116 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.May holdover “Top Gun: Maverick” was the top film of the month with £37.1 million, for a total of £65.3 million.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSentimental local drama film “Lighting Up the Stars” topped the mainland China cinema box office for a second weekend. Its haul was nearly 40% bigger than in its debut session.The film grossed RMB296 million ($44 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, far ahead of second placed “Jurassic World: Dominion” which took RMB65.2 million ($9.7 million).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Top Gun Maverick” flew even higher on its second weekend at the Korean box office, holding on to the top spot and fractionally increasing its gross take. The sky-high performance was more than enough to overshadow the otherwise promising opening of Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave.”“Top Gun Maverick” earned $9.72 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 59% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTiny yellow creatures are taking over the international box office.“Minions: The Rise of Gru” ignited to $93.7 million from 61 overseas markets and notched one of the biggest pandemic-era opening weekends for an animated film in many of those territories.Those returns take the fifth installment in Universal and Illumination’s popular “Despicable Me” franchise past $200 million at the global box office. In North America, “The Rise of Gru” debuted to $108 million over the weekend and looks to reach $127.9 million through Independence Day on Monday.Outside of the U.S. and Canada, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” enjoyed the strongest showing in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $12.9 million, followed by Mexico with $12.4 million and Germany with $4.8 million.

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.

After a two year delay due to the pandemic, Illumination/Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the fifth movie in the Despicable Me/Minions universe, arrives looking to lead the Independence Day domestic box office with $70M-$80M over 4-days, and another $70M abroad for a potential $150M global launch. There are no other major studio wide entries over July 4th weekend.

“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.

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.

Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” made $3.5 million in its preview screenings at the box office on Thursday from over 3,400 screens (inclusive of sneak previews on Tuesday), while “The Black Phone” also made $3 million in its own Thursday preview screenings from 2,800 theaters with showings beginning at 5 p.m. “Elvis,” the biopic about The King Elvis Presley from Warner Bros., is projected to earn in the $28-30 million range.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s kaleidoscopic look at the “King of Rock,” grossed $3.5 million in Thursday previews, while “The Black Phone,” a child abduction chiller from Blumhouse,” scared up $3 million. The two films are hoping to make a mark at the box office this weekend, but they face stiff competition from holdovers such as “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Lightyear” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” It’s a wide open field as they elbow their way to the top of the chart.“Elvis,” a Warner Bros.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDirector Baz Luhrmann’s musical biopic “Elvis” dazzled at Cannes Film Festival, earning a 12-minute standing ovation. Will audiences respond with the same, sustained enthusiasm?According to early estimates, the Warner Bros. film is aiming to collect $30 million in its domestic box office debut over the weekend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterIt’s hard to escape the deflating sense that Disney’s “Lightyear” has remained stubbornly Earth-bound in its box office debut. At least, that’s the prevailing sentiment that’s greeted the latest Pixar film’s so-so $51 million opening weekend in North America.For industry analysts, those lackluster ticket sales were confounding because Pixar had been box office royalty and “Lightyear,” a spinoff of the cosmically successful “Toy Story” franchise, landed decent — though not euphoric — reviews.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTo infinity and beyond? Not exactly…“Lightyear,” a spinoff story set in Pixar’s “Toy Story” universe, fell short of that boundless milestone in its box office debut, collecting a lackluster $51 million from 4,255 North American theaters. Family audiences, the movie’s prime demographic, have been largely absent since COVID.