Minions: The Rise of Gru is set to shatter the Independence Day opening weekend record with an estimated $127.9 million debut, Deadline reports. The previous high mark of $115.9 million was held for just over a decade by Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
The Despicable Me prequel earned almost $110 million over the weekend, nearly matching the $115 million haul of its predecessor, 2015’s Minions, in that same span, perVariety. Rise of Gru will also rake in close to $200 million worldwide, obliterating early projections by $50 million.
“This is a sensational opening,” said David A. Gross of the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Family animation, more than any other genre, has struggled to find its footing during the pandemic. This weekend, ‘Minions’ is breaking through and big animation is back in business.”
Following Lightyear’s underwhelming $51 million debut at the box office last month, there were some lingering concerns about releasing family-friendly films during the pandemic. The Rise of Gru may have, if only temporarily, ended that conversation. According to Variety, domestic box office figures for the month of June surpassed $985 million, more than doubling the June 2021 sum, but still falling short of the pre-Covid numbers, which were regularly eclipsing the $1 billion mark.
It’s worth mentioning that the success of The Rise of Gru is due in part to the TikTok trend where a group of people show up to watch the fifth installment of the Minions franchise in full suits.
Universal Pictures, the studio behind Minions: The Rise of Gru, posted a tweet Friday expressing its appreciation for the gesture.
