Universal/Illumination’s Minions: Rise of Gru grabbed the best previews for an animated film during the pandemic with $10.75 million. That’s just from screenings that started yesterday at 2:00 PM in 3,350 theaters. This no doubt bodes well for another excellent weekend at the summer box office.
That tops the combined $6.25 million two-day previews of Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Disney’s combined $5.2 million previews for Lightyear . The Rise of Gru also tops previews for 2015’s Minions , which earned $6.2 million from 5pm screenings and went on to make $46 million on its opening day (including those previews) and a $115.7 million opening .
Rise of Gru also topped Despicable Me 3’s $4.1M Thursday night (6pm start time) prelims, which went on to post a $29M opening day and $72.4M over 3 days.
Even more mind-blowing: Gru’s Thursday night take is higher than Marvel’s Eternals , which earned $9.5 million from 6 p.m. screenings.
The Chris Melendandri-produced animated sequel was aiming to earn between $70 million and $80 million over four days at 4,391 locations. Now it could be more like $90M-$100M. As of mid-March 2020, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 holds the best opening for an animated film at $72.1 million.
Mostly men turned out last night for The Rise of Gru, but moms are expected to get involved. Those under 25 are 70%. Boys dominate those under 12 with 60%.
On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave Rise of Gru 69% to Minions 55% Rotten. Despicable Me was the best rated of the series with 81% Fresh, Part 2 with 75% and Part 3 with 59% Rotten.
Everett
Meanwhile, in the war between subversive coming-of-age movies, Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick and Warner Bros. Tom Cruise’s Elvis sequel topped The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, except for Tuesday, when the Baz Luhrmann film took the lead, $5.2 million to $4.7 million.
Top Gun 2 ends its fifth week with $47.2 million at 3,948 sites, sending its current total to $538.4 million; the highest-grossing film of the year to date, with 31% ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Top Gun 2 grossed $4M on Thursday, -7% from Wednesday. Outlook is down 20% in the 4-day sixth weekend of last weekend’s pic, so about $23.7 million.
Elvis ends Week 1 with $48.3 million at 3,906 theaters. The pic made $3.5 million yesterday, -11% from Wednesday. Industry forecasts expect at most a 40% reduction in Elvis’ 4-day vs. 3-day period, which translates to about $18.7 million. Box office sources believe Zoey 101 and Ruby & the Rockits actor Austin Butler is the key to attracting the under-25 crowd as Elvis emerges with an ecstatic buzz.
Universal/Amblin’s Jurassic World Dominion at 4,233 earned $2.7M, -11% from Wednesday for a current third-week total of $316.1M, 9% behind previous title Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom at the same time. Dominion’s third week reached $39.8 million.
Universal/Blumhouse’s Black Phone ends Week 1 at 3150 with $35.1M after Thursday’s $2.5M, -7% from Wednesday.
Yesterday, Lightyear did about $1.57 million at 4,255 locations, -31% from Wednesday, $27.6 million in its second week and a current total of $98.7 million.
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