Minions & Monsters’ Coming Up Short With $63M 5-Day U.S. — Friday Box Office Update

Illumination/Universal's *Minions & Monsters* is not creating the big buzz that was expected, with a $63.5 million start in North America after five days, which is lower than the $80 million hoped for.The three-day total so far is $38.5 million, showing the film is number one in its first weekend, playing in 4,243 theaters.Some exhibitors had noticed that the small characters might not do as well as expected.This is the lowest three-day and five-day opening for the *Despicable Me/Minions* franchise, even when considering inflation.The previous low was in 2010 with the first film, which made $56.3 million.This is the third time Universal has opened a *Despicable Me* movie on a Wednesday during the July 4th holiday season, after *Despicable Me 2* in 2013 ($143 million) and *Despicable Me 4* in 2024 ($122.6 million).*Rise of Gru* in 2022 had a four-day opening with $123 million.

Friday looks promising for *Minions & Monsters* with an estimated $16 million, which is a 48% increase from Thursday and the highest-grossing day in the U.S.

so far for this movie directed by and voiced by Pierre Coffin.

If the North American total stays at $63.5 million, the global total for *Minions & Monsters* could reach at least $101 million.

That includes $37.6 million in foreign earnings as of this morning.The little guys usually make the majority of their income from international sales, often at least 60%.

The second highest-grossing movie in the U.S.

is Disney/Pixar’s *Toy Story 5*, which earned $13 million on its third weekend, currently showing a -58% drop from its opening, for a total of $365.3 million by Sunday.The third movie is *Young Washington* from Angel Studio/Wonder Project, which is ahead of its $15 million projection with an estimated $16 million to $17 million, with $7.5 million on Friday.Critics gave it a mixed 60% score but audiences liked it a lot, with a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fourth is Warner Bros/DC’s *Supergirl*, which is down 73% this weekend with $4 million on Friday, and an estimated $10 million for the weekend, for a total of $48.8 million after ten days.

Fifth is Universal/Amblin’s *Disclosure Day*, which is down 32% with $5.6 million, for a total of $104.8 million by Sunday.

Earlier reports show that *Minions & Monsters* made $14.23 million on Wednesday with an A- CinemaScore, and it's now playing in 69 territories, with 10 already showing last weekend.

Even if the domestic numbers slow down, the international sales are expected to pick up since those are usually where these movies make most of their money.Two of the films in the franchise crossed the $1 billion mark, while three almost did, including *Minions: The Rise of Gru* in 2022, *Despicable Me 2* in 2013, and *Despicable Me 4* in 2024.The A- CinemaScore is the second best for the Illumination franchise, after *Despicable Me 3*.

Disney/Pixar's *Toy Story 5* made $7.8 million on Wednesday, down 38% from the previous day.

The running total is $326.6 million.*Supergirl* was third with $2.1 million and a total of $46.5 million over six days.

Earlier, it was reported that *Minions & Monsters* is expected to open with $13.75 million without any previews.

The movie is the seventh title in the *Despicable Me* and Minions franchise, which has made $5.6 billion globally, and it's the number one movie today.

There's still a lot of time left in the holiday weekend, especially with July 4th falling on a Saturday, which has happened in previous years like 2020, 2015, and 2009.

While there's typically a drop in movie attendance on July 4th, the weekend of Friday and Sunday will be good for a family movie like *Minions & Monsters*.

*Minions & Monsters* is the fourth-best opening Wednesday for an animated movie in July, behind *Despicable Me 2* ($35 million), *Despicable Me 4* ($27.2 million), and *Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs* ($13.79 million).

It's also the best-reviewed movie in the 16-year-old franchise, with a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.The tracking forecast for *Minions & Monsters* was $80 million, but predictions varied from $60 million to $90 million.The film's production cost was $85 million before global marketing spend.

*Minions & Monsters* tells the story of the early days of Gru’s little henchmen in the 1920s, showing their rise and fall and comeback as movie stars and Earth's defenders against an invasion from space.

The movie already made over $10 million from ten offshore territories last weekend, including France, Belgium, and others.

Disney/Pixar's *Toy Story 5* is second on Wednesday with a reported $7 million to $8 million, bringing its total to around $326 million in its second week.

Among five-day animated openings during the Independence Day holiday, *Despicable Me 2* holds the record at $143 million, followed by *Despicable Me 4* at $122.6 million.

Also opening on Friday is *Young Washington*, a historical biopic from Angel Studios and Wonder Project, starring Andy Serkis, Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Kingsley, Kelsey Grammer, and William Franklyn-Miller as the Father of Our Country.