‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ smashes Independence Day holiday records with projected $127M debut
Steve Carrell and Jean Claude Van Damme's voice-lent animated blockbuster 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' caused quite the stir at the Box Office, raking in $108 million over the weekend. As per a Variety report, the movie is set to make a substantial $127.9 million as July 4 comes around. According to these records, the movie is set to surpass 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' for the highest film opening over Independence Day. The Michael Bay-helmed film had earlier held the record for raking in $115.9 million over four days.
The report added that the sales for the movie getting crowds to the cinemas was a good sign, especially after Chris Evans' 'Lightyear' turned out to be a damp squib. 'The Rise of Gru' also matched the predecessor 'Minions' that was released in 2015 that made $115 million over three days as far as opening weekend returns. As per a Deadline report, ticket sales for the movie, $8.6M ($7.3M for the 3-day) came from 400 Imax auditoriums in the US and Canada, making the animated feature the fourth-highest domestic IMAX opening weekend ever in the genre.
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Talking to the outlet, David A Gross from Franchise Entertainment Research called it a "sensational opening". He added, "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."
Seconding this was Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, who said it was a joyous film. "Illumination and [its CEO] Chris Meledandri have done an amazing job with this franchise. And Steve Carell as Gru… it doesn’t get any better than that," he added.
The official synopsis reads, "In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader -- the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance -- Wild Knuckles himself -- and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends."
The film also stars Taraji P Henson, Michelle Yeoh, and Julie Andrews. The movie has a 68 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
