‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ Sets Fourth of July Box Office Record With $125 Million 4-Day Opening

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterAudiences responded with a resounding “yep” to Jordan Peele’s science-fiction thriller “Nope,” which topped the box office with its $44 million debut.Those ticket sales were slightly behind projections of $50 million and fall in between Peele’s first two films, 2017’s “Get Out” (which opened to $33 million) and 2019’s “Us” (which opened to $71 million). “Nope” may not have cemented a new box office record for Peele, but it marks a strong start for an original, R-rated horror film.“The opening isn’t as big as ‘Us,’ but it’s still extremely impressive,” says David A.

“Nope” is hitting the low end of pre-release projections with $19.5 million grossed on Friday from 3,785 theaters, with the studio now estimating a $44.5 million opening. Prior to the weekend, “Nope” was projected for a $45-50 million opening, with analysts predicting an opening in the high $40 million range.

J. Kim Murphy Jordan Peele’s “Nope” is successfully sending a message to moviegoers: get out… and go to theater.The Universal release is expected to net a $44.5 million opening this weekend, marking Peele’s third consecutive film to debut at the top slot of the domestic box office.The first indication that “Nope” might just be a summer box office hit came from its Thursday previews, which brought in a strong $6.4 million.

Universal’s Nope, one of the few remaining tentpoles in a rebounding summer box office, looks to provide a lift this weekend with an estimated $50M start at 3,700 theaters with an eye at guys 17-34.

Refresh for latest…: There remains plenty of action at the international box office as we head into the dog days of summer and with fewer wide releases to come. This past week and weekend includes milestones aplenty for such films as Thor: Love And Thunder, Minions: The Rise Of Gru, Jurassic World Dominion, and the seemingly unstoppable Top Gun: Maverick. But it’s not a free-for-all as audiences now appear more discerning amid the recent barrage of big-ticket titles — adding to that, there is a very threatening heatwave across European majors which is complicating matters on several levels.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMarvel’s superhero epic “Thor: Love and Thunder” is nearing the $500 million mark at the global box office, a great result after only 10 days on the big screen.Over the weekend, the fourth comic book movie to center on Chris Hemsworth’s hunky God of Thunder has generated $60.1 million from 47 territories at the international box office and another $46 million domestically for a weekend tally of $102 million. With those ticket sales, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment has earned $264.6 million overseas and $497.9 million worldwide to stand as the sixth-highest grossing Hollywood movie of the year.

In a remarkable benchmark for an adult, female-skewing movie, especially with a 2 hour 39 minute running time, Warner Bros.’ Elvis has crossed the $100M mark at the domestic box office.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDisney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth standalone Marvel story about Chris Hemsworth’s hulking God of Thunder, picked up $15.7 million on opening day at the international box office.The film is currently playing in 17 overseas markets, including Germany, Italy, Australia and Korea, and it will debut in North America and several other major territories on Friday.Overall ticket sales are pacing 39% ahead of “Thor: Ragnarok” (which ultimately collected $130 million during its opening weekend) and 24% behind “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (which scored a massive $265 million in its international box office debut).By the time Sunday comes around, the newest “Thor” adventure is expected to rake in at least $145 million to $155 million in North America (with some estimates reaching as high as $170 million) and another $140 million to $150 million from overseas markets. For now, “Love and Thunder” is not playing in China, Russia or France.

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.

Illumination Entertainment/Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru didn’t stop making money just because it wasn’t a holiday. The pic’s gross yesterday saw $18.9M, which is easily the best Tuesday ever for an Illumination Entertainment title at the domestic box office, besting the $17.5M made by the animation studio’s Sing on Dec. 27, 2016.

Naman Ramachandran Universal’s keenly anticipated animation “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £10.4 million ($12.5 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.

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.

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.

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.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is huge!

Just shy of the $115 million opening earned by the first “Minions” in 2015, “The Rise of Gru” now joins its predecessor among the top 10 highest openings ever for animated films. It currently sits ninth on that list, just ahead of the $108 million opening of “Shrek 2” in 2004.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Minions: The Rise of Gru” ruled the box office, collecting $108 million over the weekend. By the time that July 4th rolls around on Monday, the animated family film is expected to reach a sizable $127.9 million.Based on those estimates, “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” will smash the record for the highest film opening over Independence Day, overtaking Paramount’s 2011 blockbuster “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” ($115.9 million over four days).Ticket sales for the fifth installment in Universal and Illumination’s popular “Despicable Me” franchise are a comforting sign that family crowds haven’t entirely forgotten about movie theaters.

Any concerns in the film industry about long-term drops in family turnout after Disney/Pixar’s “Lightyear” underperformed can be dispelled. “Minions 2” is posting a higher opening weekend than any of the three main “Despicable Me” films, and its estimated 4-day opening of $129 million that includes July 4 numbers will top the $115 million 3-day opening of the first “Minions” in 2015. It will also rank among the top 10 highest openings ever for an animated film.