Universal/Lighting/Everett Collection
FRIDAY MORNING: Lighting/Universal Despicable Me 4 did $20.4 million on July 4th, which is +28% more than what Minions: Rise of Gru did on July 4th in 2022 which was $16 million. It is also +61% more than Despicable Me 3July 4 of $12.7 million, but DM4July 4th is in second place behind DM2‘s $24.5 million holiday income in 2013. Today will reveal how much this sixth Minions/Despicable Me universe movie is above or below $120 million Sunday, but it’s a strong take on the Independence Day frame nonetheless. The Friday-Monday starts for Minions: Rise of Gru was $123M. Ongoing cume for DM4 amounts to $47.6 million.
While DM4 With a -25% drop from opening day on Wednesday, most films saw large daily percentage increases on July 4, with titles in the top 10 seeing an average daily increase of +25%.
As expected, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 passed the half-billion mark after posting a Thursday of $7.2 million+2% from Wednesday. The current total stands at $503.6 million.
Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One booked $4.7 million, +7% from Wednesday for a first week of $73.3 million+9% over the first week of 2018 A quiet place.
Yesterday saw the opening of Angel Studios’ Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum TroT of $3.1 million what the film will do more than 4 days before the $4M-$6M forecast we saw. Director/co-writer Joshua Weigel’s picture earned an A+ CinemaScore and 97% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The film tells the true story of Donna and Reverend Martin and their East Texas church. Twenty-two families adopted 77 children from the local foster system, sparking a movement for at-risk children everywhere. Nika King stars.
Kevin Coster western from New Line, Horizon, was up 73% on July 4 from Wednesday with $1.87 million its first week at $16.7 million, -16% behind the $19.8 million first week of the 2003 Western multihyphenate Open range.
A24’s Ti West directed, Mia Goth starring in three quel, MaXXXinepremieres today. The film had no previews last night, but had previews on Wednesday.
UPDATE JULY 4 MORNING: Lighting/Universal Despicable Me 4 came in a little lighter than spotted, but strong enough $27 million in 4,030 theaters. While 5-day forecasts are always hard to predict this far out, everything will become clear by Friday. Even at this level, Gru’s fourth chapter/sixth Minions title would still be a $70 million 3-day and $120 million 5 days. Interest in this group has not waned for the audience who gave it an A CinemaScore, the same rating as Chapters 1 and 2, and a notch higher Despicable Me 3’s A-. Generally it is the fifth A for the Minions/Despicable I franchise.
Social Media Analytics Corp. RelishMix reports very strong social media universe for DM4 on TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram with 641.5 million, 26% more than family animation films, but behind the 1.6 billion pre-Covid Despicable Me 3 in 2017 and also after the pandemic Minions: The Rise of Gru‘s 668.4M. More than half of the cast on DM4 are active on social media, including Sofia Vergara with 58.6 million, Joey King with 37.8 million, Maranda Cosgrove with 30.3 million and Stephen Colbert with 29.5 million.
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“Conversation about DM4 is trending positively, with the long-running franchise building anticipation among fans young and old alike,” says RelishMix. “Some are excited about the promise of the new Mega Minions, a group of superhero hybrid minions new to this installment. One person says: ‘Despicable Me 4 with a touch Fantastic 4.’ Others enjoy the lightheartedness of these films, which don’t ask much of their audience and are in almost every way detached from reality, especially in the current political era when Disney is under fire for representing the antithesis of that creative lifestyle. Another commenter says, ‘This thing is going to make a billion. One of the rare movies I can trust not to lecture me on how to live my life.’
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The fourth Despicable Me Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith and Agnes welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who wants to irritate his father. Gru also has to deal with a new enemy in Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.
‘Inside Out 2’
Disney/Pixar; Everett Collection
DM4 easy win on Wednesday for Inside Out 2, what did $7.3 million in 4,440 theaters, -35% compared to Tuesday for a $496.6 million cume. Look forward to the Pixar sequel to the half a billion Today marks its 21st day in the United States. That’s the fastest time an animated film has ever reached that threshold, surpassing Pixar’s previous 24-day run to $500 million with 2018’s Unbelievable 2. Current outlook for IO2 is $31.7 million fourth weekend, -45%, $46.3 million 5-day and a Sunday total of $535.6 million.
Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One was third on Wednesday at 3,708 locations with $4.3 million-33% from Tuesday and a running total of $68.4M. Expected 3-day is $22.3 million (-57%) for the film Lupita Nyong’o and $31.6 million 5 days for a running cume on Sunday of $95.7 million.
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from Sony Bad Boys: Ride or Die at 2,825 gross $1.2 million-17% from Tuesday for a running total of $169.1 million. 3 day seems like it $6 million5 days like $8.7 million. Total on Sunday is $176.6 million.
New Line’s Kevin Costner Title Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 made at 3,334 locations $1.1 million yesterday, for what seems like a $5.4 million 3-day and $7.8 million 5 days for a running total of $21.6 million Sunday. If this movie cost $50M (out of the franchise’s $100M total before P&A), it’s not even going to make that much at the domestic box office.
Since it is the 4th of July, don’t expect ticket sales to increase dramatically as many people are unable to purchase tickets due to the holiday. DM4 is expected to decline by around 20% today, if not less, while Inside Out 2 should remain the same as Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY PM: Surprise, surprise: Minions rule Independence Day.
Lighting/Universal Despicable Me 4 is looking at $28 million Wednesday, excluding Tuesday previews (which weren’t held), which is high enough to bring the film an estimated $120 million over its first five days through Sunday. That’s where tracking had it, and it’s a figure that underscores the continued upward nature of the current box office as event films fill the schedule in the wake of Hollywood’s dual strikes. Friday-Sunday grosses for Despicable Me 4 amounts to $70 million.
Rotten Tomatoes critics aren’t fond of Despicable Me 4 with 53% Rotten, which is lower than Servants. Luckily for Illumination and Universal, those opinions haven’t stopped audiences from turning this franchise into a billion-dollar fortune. Proof? The audience RT score for director Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage’s fourth quel is 89%.
Despicable Me 4 also heads to 52 offshore markets this weekend, including Mexico, Spain and Brazil. The film has already grossed around $25M at the international box office, and its global total is expected to top $200M by Sunday.
The Despicable Me And Minions Universe has an ongoing series that has grossed $4.67 billion worldwide. The highest-grossing title in the franchise is 2015’s Minions with 1.1 billion dollars.