‘Despicable Me 4’ Leads 4th of July Box Office Surge With $27 Million Opening

‘Despicable Me 4,’ the sixth installment of the beloved animated children’s series that began back in 2010, lit up the box office this weekend. The ‘Despicable Me’ franchise has quickly one of the most dependable box office successes in recent years.

The fifth installment of the franchise, Minions: The Rise of Gru, rose to near legendary heights when it became the subject of a global meme campaign in 2022. Millions of young men, most dressed in extremely formal attire, jokingly attended screenings of the movie, posting their activities in the theater on their social media pages.

The first Minions film, released in 2015, grossed an astounding $1.159 Billion. The sequel, Rise of Gru, was largely seen as the spark which reignited interest in movie theaters after the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which lingered into 2022.

Rise of Gru grossed over $939 Million in 2022.

This weekend, the opening weekend for Despicable Me 4, has shown that the franchise is enduring. A $27 Million opening for the film marks yet another tremendous victory for the series.

The film grossed that figure on just its first day in theaters, July 3rd, 2024. It is the first Despicable Me film to be released since 2017.

This summer has been a tremendous summer for children’s entertainment at the theater, as Inside Out 2 another animated children’s film, has grossed over $496 Million since it opened just weeks ago.

Though they are not children’s movies, there have been several other films driving people to the theaters this Independence Day.

A Quiet Place: Day One, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die have both received warm repsonses from audiences nationwide. This Spring, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes dominated, grossing a total of $391 Million.

It appears that American movie theaters are on the comeback in 2024. With a Joker sequel set to release at the end of 2024, it could be a record year for moviemakers in Hollywood.