The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Minions: The Rise of Gru Tops Box Office with Record-Breaking $128 Million Opening Weekend


Who would've thought that Gru's adorable yellow creatures in denim overalls would be a dark horse at the box office? Following 2015's Minions, which earned $1.159 billion at the global box office and currently sits as the 22nd highest-grossing film of all time, its sequel titled Minions: The Rise of Gru is foreseen to beat its triumphant record.

click to enlarge

Minions: The Rise of Gru grossed $109 million globally in its first three days, and is expected to hit over $128 million on the Fourth of July holiday weekend, surpassing 2015's Minions' $115.7 million opening weekend. That said, it's another top contender at the box office and is anticipated to dethrone several box office hits like Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick. The Minions sequel also bested Chris Evans' Toy Story spinoff Lightyear, which reportedly accumulated $51 million in its first three days.

While it remains a mystery whether the sequel would also cross the $1 billion mark, Minions: The Rise of Gru is predicted to accumulate another $86 million internationally, rounding up a total of $218 million in its first week, impressively higher than the $150 million projected earnings. With these box office receipts, it becomes Illumination Entertainment's highest opening weekend to date.

Minions: The Rise of Gru's official synopsis is below:

"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."

Minions: The Rise of Gru is now showing in theaters worldwide.

Also read: Lightyear Underperforms at Its Opening Weekend Box Office

For more articles like this, take a look at our Movies and Geek Culture page.