LOS ANGELES -- Minions took over the box office last weekend, debuting with about $116 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
Overseas, the film collected $280.5 million, for a global total that neared $400 million. It opened at No. 1 in 54 of its 56 international markets.
The film surpassed even the highest industry tracking estimates of $110 million, delivering the second-highest opening for an animated film in North America, behind only the $121.6 million debut for Shrek the Third in 2007. Minions finished ahead of the $110.3 million opening for Toy Story 3 in 2010, though when adjusted for inflation, the latter retains its No. 2 ranking.
Minions, which features the voice of Sandra Bullock as super-villain Scarlet Overkill and co-stars Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney and Steve Coogan, was produced by Universal and Illumination Entertainment for $74 million.
"The Minions are fun and the whole family enjoys them," said Nicholas Carpou, Universal's head of domestic distribution. "People were ready for this film."
In 2010, Minions precursor Despicable Me premiered with a surprisingly strong $56.4 million and went on to collect $251.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $543 million globally. The sequel, Despicable Me 2, which opened over the five-day Fourth of July holiday in 2013, made $368 million domestically and $970.7 million worldwide.
Moviegoers gave Minions a solid A rating, according to audience polling firm CinemaScore. An estimated 55 percent of the film's audience was younger than 25, and 59 percent were female.
Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak's senior media analyst, said Minions captured most of the buzz among Despicable Me fans from the start.
"It's always been about these crazy, irreverent, funny characters," Dergarabedian said.
Other studios have created successful spinoffs, such as DreamWorks' Shrek side story from 2011, Puss in Boots. There are also the multilayered spinoffs in Disney's Marvel universe, including Ant-Man, which opens today.
"It seems like a foregone conclusion there will be more Minions because of the millions they made," Dergarabedian said.
Universal is planning to unleash Despicable Me 3 in the summer of 2017 and plans a gaggle of other films by Illumination Entertainment. Led by founder and Chief Executive Officer Chris Meledandri, the movie studio has become one of Hollywood's most successful.
Ahead of Minions, Universal showed a trailer from a release for next summer, The Secret Life of Pets, which explores what pets do when their owners leave them at home unattended. The studio is also planning to release a Christmas 2017 version of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Last year, the market had a dearth of animated family films, which typically draw wide audiences during the summer. Just two were released in summer 2014 compared with six the preceding summer. Analysts said the lack of such films likely contributed to a 5.2 percent box office decline in 2014, compared with 2013's record of $10.9 billion.
The 2015 box office is up 8 percent for the year to date. If early figures hold, weekend ticket sales will be up about 42 percent from the same period last year, when Dawn of the Planet of the Apes had a $72.6 million debut.
Holdovers Jurassic World ($18.2 million), Inside Out (about $18 million) and Terminator Genisys (about $14 million) came in at second, third and fourth place.
Inside Out, a Pete Docter-directed Disney-Pixar release, blew past early tracking expectations with a $90 million opening last month and has made $284.2 million domestically.
Warner Bros.' horror film The Gallows debuted at No. 5 with $9.8 million. The film, produced by Management 360 and Blumhouse Productions, follows students in a small town as they put on a play to honor the anniversary of the death of a student 20 years earlier. It was made by first-time directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff.
Most Gallows moviegoers (53 percent) were younger than 25, and most were female (52 percent). Audiences gave the film a C rating on CinemaScore.
Self/less, a new offering from Focus Features, opened at No. 8 with $5.4 million. The sci-fi thriller, which cost $26 million to make, was financed and co-produced by FilmDistrict and Endgame Entertainment.
The film, a partial remake of Seconds, follows a wealthy man (Ben Kingsley) who is dying of cancer. After undergoing a radical medical procedure, his consciousness is transferred into the body of a healthy young man (Ryan Reynolds). Moviegoers gave it a B-plus rating on CinemaScore.
In limited release, Amy, a documentary about singer Amy Winehouse, added $1.8 million after expanding to 341 locations in its second weekend. The film has made $2.1 million to date.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak:
Minions, Universal, $115,718,405, 4,301 locations, $26,905 average, $115,718,405, one week.
Jurassic World, Universal, $18,151,275, 3,441 locations, $5,275 average, $590,689,595, five weeks.
Inside Out, Disney, $17,665,796, 3,644 locations, $4,848 average, $284,196,100, four weeks.
Terminator Genisys, Paramount, $13,830,369, 3,783 locations, $3,656 average, $68,848,110, two weeks.
The Gallows, Warner Bros., $9,808,463, 2,720 locations, $3,606 average, $9,808,463, one week.
Magic Mike XXL, Warner Bros., $9,582,350, 3,376 locations, $2,838 average, $48,301,179, two weeks.
Ted 2, Universal, $5,666,310, 2,171 locations, $2,610 average, $71,684,895, three weeks.
Self/less, Focus Features, $5,403,460, 2,353 locations, $2,296 average, $5,403,460, one week.
Max, Warner Bros., $3,542,406, 2,088 locations, $1,697 average, $33,826,601, three weeks.
Baahubali (Telugu), BlueSky Cinemas, $3,068,964, 170 locations, $18,053 average, $4,433,887, one week (opened July 9).
Spy, 20th Century Fox, $3,052,681, 1,457 locations, $2,095 average, $103,516,203, six weeks.
Amy, A24 Films, $1,799,780, 341 locations, $5,278 average, $2,140,576, two weeks.
San Andreas, Warner Bros., $1,231,228, 756 locations, $1,629 average, $150,022,103, seven weeks.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Fox Searchlight, $661,177, 570 locations, $1,160 average, $5,541,967, five weeks.
Dope, Open Road, $624,894, 380 locations, $1,644 average, $15,480,118, four weeks.
Mad Max: Fury Road, Warner Bros., $617,148, 338 locations, $1,826 average, $150,253,195, nine weeks.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Disney, $455,764, 338 locations, $1,348 average, $455,238,846, 11 weeks.
Love & Mercy, Roadside Attractions, $430,977, 294 locations, $1,466 average, $11,326,741, six weeks.
I'll See You in My Dreams, Bleecker Street, $353,055, 212 locations, $1,665 average, $6,451,179, nine weeks.
Pitch Perfect 2, Universal, $274,060, 284 locations, $965 average, $183,058,230, nine weeks.
MovieStyle on 07/17/2015