'Minions: The Rise Of Gru' Bags Big Box-Office Haul

It's taken some time, but the cinema box-office seems to have finally recovered from the post-lockdown doldrums.  It's true that a lot of movies don't seem to be taking as much money as they might have expected to pre-pandemic, but the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun Maverick have proven that if it's a film that people really want to see the appetite is still there.

We can add to that list Illumination's latest Minions: The Rise Of Gru which opened in cinemas in many territories on July 1. The fifth film in the Despicable Me franchise (which is both a sequel and a prequel) is actually the last major release to have been delayed due to the pandemic and was originally slated to have been released in the summer of 2020.

The delay of two full years doesn't seem to have done the film any harm as audiences have proven their love for the mustard-coloured menaces remains strong. It shot straight to the top of the box office charts- both domestic and international. It took $107 million for the opening weekend alone, plus an additional $93 million internationally for a total haul of $216 million worldwide. This is the second-best opening in the franchise, behind only the first Minions film. It's also the third biggest total of any film over the July 4 holiday.

Expect the film to have legs- the past two films in the franchise took over $1 billion worldwide, it would be a surprise if this doesn't follow suit.

The same can't be said for Pixar's Lightyear, which Minions has already handily outgrossed in its opening weekend. Whether that's down to audiences' confusion of just what the film is supposed to be, or if people have just got used to Pixar films dropping on Disney Plus, it's a disappointment any way you slice it.

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