‘Despicable Me 4’ Earns $122M in Strong Summer Debut

“Despicable Me 4” earned $122.6 million domestically in the five days since its debut, sending a signal that summer blockbusters are alive and well. Globally, the film has earned $229.5 million, including $106.9 million from 73 international markets.

The latest installment in the story of supervillain Gru and his band of minions from Comcast’s (CMCSA) Universal and Illumination Entertainment debuted on Wednesday, in time for the Independence Day holiday weekend.

“Despicable Me 4” cost $100 million to produce, setting the stage for significant profits over the course of its theatrical run.  Shares of Comcast edged lower in Monday-morning trading.

Other Box Office Standouts

Disney (DIS) and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” delivered another strong showing, earning $30 million in its fourth weekend in theaters. The film overtook “Minions,” an early installment in the “Despicable Me” franchise, as the fifth highest-grossing animated movie ever, earning $533.8 million domestically and $1.2 billion globally, Variety reported.

“A Quiet Place: Day One,” Paramount’s (PARA) third film in the series, brought in $21 million over the holiday weekend, bringing its U.S. total to $94.4 million. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” earned $6.5 million for Sony, bringing its domestic total to $177.4 million. A24’s “MaXXXine,” debuted over the weekend, grossing $6.7 million. 

The success of “Despicable Me 4” and “Inside Out 2” in particular is a welcome sign for studios, which struggled to bring in audiences to start 2024. The latter earlier this month became the first movie to earn $1 billion globally since “Barbie” in 2023 and the first Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar animated film to gross more than $480 million since 2019.