Minions & Monsters has stormed to the top of the North American box office over the Fourth of July holiday, earning over $159 million worldwide in its opening weekend. The film has already made back 180% of its $85 million production budget in just 72 hours, though its performance marks the lowest opening in the Despicable Me franchise’s 16-year history.
The animated sequel, directed by Pierre Coffin, opened to an estimated $39.5 million over the traditional three-day weekend and approximately $65 million across the five-day holiday frame. Domestically, the film earned $16.4 million on Friday and $11 million on Saturday, enough to secure the No. 1 spot ahead of Toy Story 5, which held strong in its third weekend.
The opening figures represent a significant drop from previous franchise entries. Minions: The Rise of Gru debuted to $123.1 million over its extended holiday weekend in 2022, while 2024’s Despicable Me 4 opened to $122.6 million. The original Minions film in 2015 remains the franchise’s biggest commercial success, earning more than $1.15 billion worldwide.
On its first day, Minions & Monsters earned $14.2 million at the domestic box office, the lowest opening day for the entire franchise. The previous record for the lowest three-day opening belonged to the first Despicable Me in 2010 with $56.4 million.
Despite its soft box office performance, the film has earned the best reviews of the franchise, holding a 91% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie also received an A- CinemaScore from audiences, though that’s a slight step down from the A CinemaScore the first two Minions movies received.
Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri described the film as a “reset” for the studio, representing the kind of movies they want to make going forward. Set in 1927, more than four decades before the events of 2015’s Minions, the story follows the yellow henchmen as they attempt to create their own monster movie in the golden age of Hollywood filmmaking.
The international market is helping offset the softer domestic launch. The film is estimated to gross $87 million internationally this weekend, bringing its total overseas cume to approximately $100 million including the 10 markets where it opened last weekend. The film opened at No. 1 in major markets including China, Germany, Spain, and the UK.
Industry analysts expect family audiences and school holiday attendance to support the film’s international run throughout the summer. With a clear path ahead of new family films until PAW Patrol in August, Minions & Monsters could still have long legs at the box office despite its slow start. The franchise, which has now generated more than $5.6 billion globally, remains the most successful animated film series in box office history.
