<\/p>\n
The Minions took over theaters this weekend as Universal Pictures and Illumination\u2019s \u201cMinions & Monsters\u201d won the top spot at the box office, though with a lower-than-expected domestic haul.<\/p>\n
The animated movie, which follows the Minions\u2019 takeover of Hollywood, took in $61.4 million in the U.S. and Canada for the five-day Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to studio estimates. That haul was lower than analysts\u2019 expectations for a domestic opening of about $68 million. The movie\u2019s three-day total was $36.4 million.<\/p>\n
But the Minions performed well internationally, bringing in about $85 million. In total, \u201cMinions & Monsters\u201d made $159.9 million worldwide on a production budget of about $85 million.<\/p>\n
The film is the latest in the powerhouse franchise that began with \u201cDespicable Me\u201d in 2010. Across its previous six installments, the \u201cDespicable Me\u201d and \u201cMinions\u201d franchise has made more than $5.6 billion at the global box office. The last movie, 2022\u2019s \u201cMinions: The Rise of Gru,\u201d made more than $940 million worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cMinions & Monsters\u201d marks the lowest opening for the franchise. Part of the issue could be timing \u2014 the box office can be negatively affected when the Fourth of July lands on a Saturday, said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/b> Thirty years and $3 billion later, ‘Toy Story’ is still one of Disney’s surest bets<\/a><\/p>\n Walt Disney Co. and Pixar\u2019s \u201cToy Story 5\u201d came in second at the box office this weekend with a domestic three-day gross of $31 million. Angel Studios\u2019 biopic \u201cYoung Washington\u201d ($20.8 million), Warner Bros. and DC Studios\u2019 \u201cSupergirl\u201d ($9.6 million) and Universal\u2019s \u201cDisclosure Day\u201d ($6 million) rounded out the top five, according to Rentrak.<\/p>\n The haul for \u201cMinions & Monsters,\u201d coupled with the strong holdover performance of \u201cToy Story 5,\u201d proved again that family films are making a dent in the summer box office.<\/p>\n \u201cToy Story 5\u201d has now brought in a total of $764.3 million worldwide, and last month, Universal, Illumination and Nintendo\u2019s \u201cThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u201d crossed $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the first film of any kind to do so this year.<\/p>\n The rest of the summer theatrical lineup is also expected to bring in audiences<\/a> and push domestic box office totals closer to pre-pandemic figures. Next week, Disney will release its live-action \u201cMoana,\u201d followed by Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d and Sony Pictures\u2019 \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day.\u201d<\/p>\n To date, the summer box office is now about $2.3 billion, a nearly 12% increase compared to the same period a year ago, according to Rentrak data. Compared to pre-pandemic 2019\u2019s numbers, however, it is still down about 7%.<\/p>\n