Universal Pictures/Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru is projected to rival the franchise’s successful box office track record, generating upwards of $70 million to $90 million in estimated ticket sales over the four-day July 4 weekend.
The franchise, which includes 2010’s Despicable Me, 2013’s Despicable Me 2, 2017’s Despicable Me 3, and 2015 spin-off Minions, has generated $3.7 billion in global revenue. Indeed, Minions holds the franchise mark for highest domestic opening box office weekend with $115.7 million in ticket sales.
With the fifth installment, The Rise of Gru, slated for more than 4,400 North American screens, Universal is hoping the movie’s two-year release delay due to the pandemic will drive moviegoer interest. Regardless, the studio reportedly is projecting $60 million in ticket sales over the four-day weekend — despite the movie generating $10.8 million in Thursday screenings.
That’s a far cry from the 2022 record $187 million generated by Disney/Marvel Studio’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in its opening weekend.
Among the box office returning releases, Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick is expected to remain on its lucrative flight plan with an estimated $26 million to $33 million in ticket sales, upping its domestic haul past $572 million after six weeks of release.
Universal’s dinosaur franchise’s Jurassic World: Dominion is projected to generate $18 million to $23 million in additional ticket sales in its fourth weekend of release domestically.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ biopic Elvis is expected to add $17 million to $21 million in its second weekend of release, followed by Universal’s Ethan Hawke horror film The Black Phone ($13 million to $15 million), and Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear with $9 million to $11 million in projected third-weekend ticket sales.
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