‘Minions & Monsters’ Steals Toy Story 5’s Box Office Crown, But The Numbers Reveal A Shakier Win Than It Looks
The summer box office has turned into a genuine family film showdown heading into the extended Fourth of July frame. Animated sequels have dominated the multiplex for weeks now, with audiences flocking to theaters for a mix of nostalgia and fresh franchise entries.
‘Toy Story 5’ had been riding high for two full weeks, pulling in strong numbers and cementing itself as the film to beat this summer. The Pixar sequel brought back Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack in their familiar roles, and it had shown no signs of slowing down heading into the holiday stretch.
That changed this week. ‘Minions & Monsters’ knocked ‘Toy Story 5’ out of the top spot, posting an estimated 14.23 million dollar opening day with an A minus CinemaScore, according to Deadline’s tracking of the debut. It marks the seventh installment in the Despicable Me and Minions franchise, and it did so without any preview screenings padding its total.
The victory comes with an asterisk, though. The opening ranks just fourth among animated July releases, trailing Despicable Me 2’s 35 million dollar debut, Despicable Me 4’s 27.2 million dollars, and Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ 13.79 million dollars, making this the softest Wednesday launch the franchise has ever logged relative to its own history.
‘Toy Story 5’ did not go down without a fight, even in defeat. The Pixar film landed at number two for Wednesday with somewhere between 7 and 8 million dollars, pushing its running domestic total to roughly 326 million dollars in its second week. Its worldwide earnings have already cleared 600 million dollars, numbers that suggest it remains a major player even after losing the top ranking.
Critics have been kind to the new arrival. ‘Minions & Monsters’ carries an 89 percent certified fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rating the 16 year old franchise has ever received, though the more demanding Metacritic score sits at a comparatively modest 67. The film follows the Minions through the 1920s golden age of Hollywood as they rise, fall and rise again as movie stars before banding together against an invading force.
The bigger test still lies ahead over the holiday weekend itself. Industry tracking points to an 80 million dollar five day domestic debut for ‘Minions & Monsters,’ with theater chains offering a wider range between 60 and 90 million dollars, while Gold Derby’s own projections peg the film closer to 68 million dollars against 35 million dollars for ‘Toy Story 5’ across the July 3 through 5 window. With Saturday landing on the actual holiday and rivals like ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Young Washington’ also fighting for screens, the real verdict on this rivalry will not be clear until the long weekend wraps.
Does a franchise-best review score matter more than an opening day record when it comes to which of these animated giants earns your holiday moviegoing dollars, and would you pick a Minions marathon or another trip to Andy’s toy box this Fourth of July?
