Minions: The Rise of Gru is becoming the first animated film to rival Disney at the box office since 2019 after a strong second weekend. The film, which is one of many pandemic-delayed projects that was originally intended for release in 2020, is the fifth entry in the Despicable Me film franchise, which introduced the world to the little yellow goofballs known as Minions. They have already brought their own special brand of slapstick comedy to three Despicable Me movies and the 2015 spinoff prequel Minions, with the new film - which launched in theaters on July 1, 2022 - bridging the gap between the two timelines by having the Minions meet their future villainous master Gru as a kid in the 1970s.
The film franchise, which comes from Illumination Entertainment, has become a box office phenomenon, with each Despicable Me film earning more than the last and Minions earning the most so far, with a global take of $1.16 billion. On top of that, since the debut of the first Despicable Me in 2010, the Minions themselves have become a widely known global brand that includes merchandise, short films, digital series, books, video games, and even appearances at Universal theme parks. In fact, the Minions have become such a cultural force that even celebrated filmmaker Quentin Tarantino revealed that his kid's first movie was Despicable Me 2.
Per Forbes, the Minions are now not only outdoing themselves, but Disney as well. Minions: The Rise of Gru has managed to cross the $200 million mark at the domestic box office, even with a sharp 70% drop between this weekend and last. This immense gross for Minions 2 has landed it at an impressive milestone as it is now the first animated film to pass $200 in the domestic sphere since Disney's Frozen II in 2019.
Box office for family films has been unpredictable since the reopening of theaters following pandemic-related closures in 2020, with only Disney animated projects generally reporting consistent success. But the resounding haul of Rise of Gru proves that Disney still has stiff competition. While Minions 2's 70% dip can probably be attributed to the release of the highly-anticipated Thor: Love and Thunder, the movie is off to an undeniably remarkable start. Still, Frozen II earned a total of $477.4 million domestic over its run, so Minions has a while to go yet to match it.
Minions: The Rise of Gru has also already managed to outgross other high performers like Sing 2 ($162.8 million) and The Bad Guys ($96.1 million), which previously toppled Fantastic Beasts 3 from its box office perch. It might peter off soon and fail to reach the full heights of Frozen II if it continues its current box office trend. However, it could just as well prove to be something of a sleeper and rise back through the ranks once family audiences have had their fill of Thor. Either way, the movie's early success is impressive.
Source: Forbes