‘Minions’ Opens at No. 1 but Falls Far Short of Earlier Films in the Franchise

The filmmakers behind the “Minions” franchise have had one of their greatest fears come true: The most critically lauded film of the series has performed the worst at the box office, at least on its opening weekend.

“Minions and Monsters,” beloved for its ode to old Hollywood, earned a 91 percent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes but generated $36.4 million in sales in North America for the three-day holiday weekend and $61.4 million for the five days since its July 1 opening, according to Universal Pictures. That was a 62 percent decline from 2024, the last time a “Minions” movie was in theaters.

The PG-rated animated film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment is still No. 1 for the weekend. But its opening ticket sales came in far lower than the earlier movies in the franchise.

This is the latest of the “Despicable Me/Minions” films to be released around the July 4 holiday, with “Minions: The Rise of Gru” from 2022 hitting a high point with a $123 million in domestic ticket sales on its opening weekend.

This year, the film was contending with the holiday landing on a Saturday, which often leads to a depression in the box office as moviegoers choose fireworks and barbecues over movie theaters. Another factor may have been the World Cup, which Universal used as a significant promotional vehicle for the movie with a television spot featuring the French soccer star Kylian Mbappé facing off against the Minions villains on the soccer pitch. And then there is “Toy Story 5,” which in its third week, continues to perform well, clearly siphoning off some of the family audience with an additional $31 million. Its total gross is now $764 million worldwide.

Still, “Minions and Monsters” brought in $85 million internationally, putting its total gross at $160 million. And with a CinemaScore of an A- and a budget of $85 million, the movie is still likely to be a moneymaker for the studio.

Overall, the “Despicable Me/Minions” franchise has grossed over $5.6 billion, making it the most successful animated series in history.

Hollywood has been having its best summer at the box office since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite softer than expected numbers from “Minions” this weekend and “Supergirl” last weekend. Theaters in the United States and Canada were expected to sell about $119 million in tickets in total this weekend, according to Rentrak, which compiles box office data, down around 24 percent from the same weekend last year when Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth” dominated the market with a $92 million three-day opening. Still, according to Rentrak, the summer is on track to cross $4 billion in ticket sales.

The marketing campaign for “Minions” had 75 promotional partners, including Wendy’s, King’s Hawaiian bread and Built protein bars, which created a mystery flavor bar inspired by the film’s villain Goomi.

This is the first “Minions” movie to be solely directed by Pierre Coffin, the voice of the “Minions” and a co-director of three of the movies in the series.

The film centers on one Minion in particular, James, an artist with a passion for filmmaking. Much of the usual “Minion” mayhem still exists in the film but the movie has been lauded for its original creative voice. The New York Times called it “the best of the bunch,” describing it as “surprisingly uncynical, while allowing room for more real jokes and imagination.”

In an earlier interview, Mr. Coffin voiced his concern that the high praise might not result in strong box office performance. “I’m scared that it’s going to be the opposite, because we’re getting really good reviews,” he said. “And I’m thinking, what does that mean? Does that mean the movie is not going to be successful?”

Next weekend, Disney will unveil the live-action version of “Moana,” another family title, which could again eat into the “Minions” box office potential.

“Young Washington,” a patriotic war drama from Angel Studios that depicts the early years of George Washington, earned $20.8 million for a third-place finish this weekend, according to Rentrak.

Warner Bros.’ “Supergirl,” from its DC Studios, dropped a staggering 74 percent in its second weekend of release, earning $9.6 million for a fourth-place finish. Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” rounded out the top five with $6 million in its fourth weekend of release. Its total gross stands at $105 million.