Despicable Me 3 steals #1!
Reformed supervillain Felonious Gru returned to theaters for a third time this weekend, and put DESPICABLE ME 3 in first place at the box office with an estimated opening of $75.4 million!
Heading toward the July 4th holiday, the ex-baddie (voiced by Steve Carell) and his jibbering henchmen had a better start than the original DESPICABLE ME, which opened to $56.3 million in 2010. But it came in lower than both DESPICABLE ME 2 ($83.5 million) and the Gru-free spinoff MINIONS ($115 million).
The latest from Illumination Entertainment also didn't reach the height of their animated animal comedy THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS, which pounced last summer with a surprising $104 million opening.
DESPICABLE ME 3 cost a reported $80 million, and brought in an additional $116.9 million from international audiences. All in all, the DESPICABLE series has earned nearly $3 billion worldwide (with MINIONS accounting for $1.1 billion of that).
Critics were barely on board with the family feature, giving it an average of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. You can check out the JoBlo review right HERE.
Driving into second place was the new action movie BABY DRIVER with a $21 million weekend, and $30 million total since it peeled into theaters on Wednesday.
The R-rated crime caper from Edgar Wright cost a reported $34 million, and easily had the best start for the filmmaker, blowing past the $10.6 million opening of SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (which finished with $31.5 million). HOT FUZZ remains the director's biggest effort yet with $80 million worldwide.
Critics grooved to the music-fueled joyride with a 97% average on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can race over to the JoBlo reviews HERE and HERE.
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT clanked down to third with $17 million, crumpling by 62% from its first place position last weekend. Michael Bay's fifth robotic smash-up has crossed $100 million domestic after twelve days in theaters, and has a worldwide total of $429 million.
In fourth place, WONDER WOMAN continues to prove her might with $16.1 million, bringing the domestic total to $346.6 million over the movie's fifth weekend in release.
The seemingly unstoppable DC Comics superheroine has defeated the domestic totals of SUICIDE SQUAD ($325 million) and BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE ($330 million). And with $708 million worldwide, the Amazon warrior has also crushed the $668 million finish of MAN OF STEEL.
Pixar's CARS 3 sputtered in fifth place with $9.5 million, for a domestic total of $120.7 million after three weeks in theaters. The vehicular sequel has made an additional $53 million overseas as it slowly rolls out internationally.
Opening in sixth place was the new R-rated comedy THE HOUSE with $9 million.
The Will Ferrell/Amy Poehler pairing cost a reported $40 million, and was foreclosed by critics with 16% on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review is HERE).
Director Sofia Coppola's period drama THE BEGUILED expanded from limited release to 674 locations and pushed into seventh place with $3.2 million. The Colin Farrell/Nicole Kidman slow-burn thriller holds a decent 77% average from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (the JoBlo review can be found HERE).
In eighth place was Tom Cruise's THE MUMMY, a domestic dud for the actor that nonetheless has gathered almost $350 million worldwide. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES followed in ninth as it sailed past $700 million worldwide, and the Tupac biopic ALL EYEZ ON ME hung on at the bottom.
Outside the chart, ROUGH NIGHT disappeared with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 and CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE. In limited release, Kumail Nanjiani's relationship comedy THE BIG SICK added 66 screens to land just outside the Top 10 with $1.6 million, while the Alison Brie/Aubrey Plaza nun satire THE LITTLE HOURS debuted with a firm $30k per-screen average.
Next weekend only offers one major release as the wall-crawler swings into theaters (and the Marvel Cinematic Universe) in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING.
Which July release are you most interested in seeing? VOTE HERE!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Despicable Me 3 | $75.4 M | NEW |
| 2 | Baby Driver | $21 M | $30 M |
| 3 | Transformers: The Last Knight | $17 M | $102.1 M |
| 4 | Wonder Woman | $16.1 M | $346.6 M |
| 5 | Cars 3 | $9.5 M | $120.7 M |
| 6 | The Beguiled | $3.2 M | $3.5 M |
| 7 | The House | $9 M | NEW |
| 8 | The Mummy | $2.7 M | $74.5 M |
| 9 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | $2.4 M | $165.4 M |
| 10 | All Eyez on Me | $1.8 M | $42.7 M |