'Minions & Monsters' struggles to spark at the domestic box office

The Despicable Me prequel Minions & Monsters led the box office over the July 4^th. The well-reviewed franchise didn’t set off as expected.

In the opening weekend, Minions & Monsters made $36 million from 4,243 North American locations and $61 million since Wednesday. Though the film initially aimed for $80 million over the five-day frame. The sales witnessed a huge drop from its predecessors and rank as the lowest start in the franchise, below even the original 2010’s “Despicable Me,” which managed to earn $56 million (not adjusted for inflation) over the traditional weekend while introducing the yellow, pill-shaped agents of chaos to the world.

Box office watchers anticipated a softer turnout across the industry over the holiday weekend since July 4th landed on Saturday. They assumed that instead of going to theaters on the busiest day of the week for moviegoing, people would be attending BBQs and watching fireworks to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Historically, the holiday that celebrates all things America can account for $150 million to $200 million at the box office, according to Rentrack. This year’s ticket sales top out at roughly $121 million across all films from Friday to Sunday.

For “Minions & Monsters,” which was received positively by audiences and critics, the disappointing domestic figure suggests the franchise is overexploited. There have been seven “Despicable Me” chapters across 16 years, averaging a new adventure about every two years. That’s in contrast to “Toy Story,” which has benefited from scarcity, having produced only five installments over 30 years.

There is good news for “Universal and Illumination”, the two companies behind the commercially successful property. “Minions & Monsters” is a hit at the international box office with $86 million over the weekend and $98 million to date, bringing the worldwide total to $159.8 million. And prior “Despicable Me” adventures and spinoffs have demonstrated notable box office staying power, so “Minions & Monsters” could stick around throughout the summer despite the slower start.

Critics and audiences dug the movie, which was directed by series co-creator Pierre Coffin and holds a stellar 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. The film was produced for $85 million, making it slightly less expensive than prior entries, which cost around $100 million each.

“Seven installments is further than any animation series has gone. Audiences are showing fatigue now,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “The movie will be profitable, but it’s a misfire.”

'Minions & Monsters' struggles to spark fireworks at the domestic box office