With $36M, 'Minions & Monsters' posts lowest opening for franchise
What's the story
Despite topping the box office over the Fourth of July weekend, Minions & Monsters, a prequel set in 1920s Hollywood and featuring the much-adored minions, has underperformed. The family film raked in $36 million from 4,243 North American locations between Friday and Monday and $61 million since Wednesday. This is a significant drop from its predecessors and marks the lowest opening for the franchise.
Box office analysis
'Minions & Monsters' falls short of expectations
Before the weekend, Minions & Monsters was projected to earn $80 million over the five-day period. However, it only managed to bring in $61 million, a far cry from its predecessors. For comparison, Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) opened with $123 million. The film's opening weekend earnings are also a tad bit higher than those of Toy Story 5, which earned nearly as much ($31 million) in its third weekend of release.
Critical response
Franchise fatigue?
Despite being well-received by audiences and critics, the US numbers for Minions & Monsters indicate that the franchise may be overcapitalized. With seven Despicable Me films released over 16 years, averaging a new release every two years, audience fatigue may have set in. Meanwhile, Toy Story has only released five films in 30 years. However, the film is performing well internationally with $86 million over the weekend and $98 million to date. So, the minions have earned $159.8 million worldwide.
Supergirl's performance
'Supergirl' struggles to find audience
Meanwhile, Supergirl experienced a massive 74% drop in its second weekend, earning $9.6 million from 3,602 screens. After a disappointing debut of just $37.1 million domestically, the Warner Bros. and DC comic book adaptation has so far grossed $58.5 million in North America and $100.5 million worldwide. The film's underwhelming performance highlights the struggles of the once-dominant superhero movie genre at the box office, especially those focused on lesser-known or female characters.
Other performances
'The Invite' enters top 10 despite limited release
Angel Studios's Young Washington opened in third place with $20.8 million from 2,700 theaters. The film, which chronicles George Washington's life before the Revolutionary War and his presidency, received an "A" grade on CinemaScore. A24's comedy The Invite entered the top 10 with $8,00,700 despite being screened in just 28 theaters. The film has now earned a total of $1.36 million after two weekends in limited release. Will it become the next Obsession? Only time will tell.