‘Despicable Me 4’ crushes box office with $122M opening, ‘MaXXXine’ nets $6.7M

The Minions franchise by Illumination and Universal continues to thrive as Despicable Me 4 dominated the box office during the Fourth of July weekend. The film had an outstanding domestic opening of $122.6 million from 4,428 theaters, with a weekend haul of $75 million and an excellent CinemaScore rating.

This success is on par with expectations and sets a strong start for the fourth installment in the main franchise and the sixth overall in the Despicable Me/Minions series, which is the highest-grossing animated franchise to date. Internationally, the latest movie has already made over $230 million.

Despicable Me first debuted in 2010 with an opening of $56 million domestically. Since then, the series has become a staple for the Fourth of July holiday, starting with Despicable Me 2 in 2013, which earned $143 million in its first five days. The most recent installment, Despicable Me 4, earned $75 million over the three-day weekend, making it the highest July 4 opener since Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022.

In Despicable Me 4, Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, faces new challenges when a new nemesis, voiced by Will Ferrell, enters the scene. Alongside his family and the beloved Minions, Gru must navigate through chaos and adventures while on the run from the new threat. The movie introduces new characters voiced by various talented actors, bringing fresh dynamics to the storyline.

Directed by Chris Renaud, the film was written by Mike White and Ken Daurio. Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman produced the movie, which has proven to be another success in the animated family film market following the incredible performance of Inside Out 2 by Pixar and Disney.

Inside Out 2, which held the top spot for several weeks, fell to No. 2 with a gross of $30 million over the weekend. However, the film has already accumulated a domestic total of $533.8 million, making it one of the top-grossing animated films in North America. Its global success has also been significant, joining the billion-dollar club in just 19 days and climbing to the No. 5 spot on the list of highest-grossing animated films worldwide.

June has seen a surge in box office revenue thanks to successful releases like Inside Out 2. The deficit from last year has decreased from 23 percent to 17 percent, as reported by Comscore.

Another contributor to this increase is Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One, holding strong at No. 3 with a $21 million three-day gross in its second weekend. The prequel has amassed an impressive domestic total of $94.4 million in just 10 days, with a record-breaking $52 million debut.

A24’s latest film MaXXXine, a specialty slasher pic paying homage to 1980s sexploitation and horror, opened at No. 4 with $6.7 million from 2,450 theaters. Directed by Ti West and starring Mia Goth, the film received a B CinemaScore, a positive rating for its genre.

Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die held the No. 5 spot with $6.6 million from 2,664 sites, bringing its domestic total to $177.4 million. There is a possibility it might switch positions with MaXXXine after final weekend earnings are calculated.

However, Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One faced challenges as it dropped to No. 6, struggling to attract audiences despite its $100 million budget. The Western film, over three hours long, earned approximately $5.5 million in its second weekend for a total domestic gross of $22.2 million.

Angel Studios made waves last year with Sound of Freedom, but this year’s release, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, has not seen the same success. Despite both films receiving an A+ CinemaScore, Possum Trot only opened to $3.6 million at No. 9, following a combined $4.7 million on Wednesday and Thursday.