“Minions: The Rise of Gru” is the sequel to the 2015 movie, “Minions,” and the spin-off/precursor to the major “Despicable Me” movie series.
worldwide
Families went to bananas for “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”
Over the weekend, the animated feature Universal and Illumination generated more than $108 million in ticket sales.
The fifth film in the Despicable Me franchise grossed an additional $93.7 million from international markets, bringing its estimated opening weekend rate to $202 million worldwide.
“With the incredible success of Minions, the idea that family audiences were shunning movie theaters due to Covid concerns could be put on hold,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
Box office analysts questioned whether this segment of moviegoers is still avoiding movie theaters after Disney and Pixar’s “Lighter” films made just $51 million during their domestic debut last month, falling short of expectations of $70 million and $85 million.
It wasn’t clear whether intense competition at the box office resulted in Lightyear’s film being less than stellar or whether consumers were confused about the film’s release. After all, there hasn’t been a theatrical release of a Pixar movie since 2020’s Onward. The last three from the animation studio, “Soul”, “Luca” and “Turning Red” have been launched on the Disney+ streaming service.
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” represented 54% of all domestic moviegoers over the weekend, with 68% of ticket holders being part of family groups, according to data from EntTelligence.
“What this weekend showcased is a triumphant return to movie theaters by families, comforting any old, epidemic narrative that parents and children just want to watch movies at home,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “When the right content is available, people will show up.”
The film is expected to add another $20 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada on Monday, bringing the weekend’s total to $128 million.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is the distributor for “Minions: The Rise of Gru”.