"Minions & Monsters" Opens at #1 during 4th of July Weekend, although at a Series Low

[JamesG]

Minions & Monsters Fizzles Over July 4th Weekend with Franchise-Low $61 Million Debut, Supergirl Suffers Brutal 77% Drop
by Rebecca Rubin
July 5, 2026


Are the Minions losing their star power?

Although Minions & Monsters, a 1920s Hollywood-set prequel in Universal and Illumination’s animated Despicable Me universe, led the box office over the Fourth of July weekend, the well-reviewed family film didn’t quite set off fireworks.



It opened way behind projections with $36 million from 4,243 North American locations between Friday and Monday and $61 million since Wednesday. Heading into the weekend, Minions & Monsters was aiming for $80 million over the five-day frame.

Initial sales are a huge drop from its franchise predecessors and rank as the lowest start in the franchise, below even the original 2010’s Despicable Me, which managed to earn $56 million (not adjusted for inflation) over the traditional weekend while introducing the yellow, pill-shaped agents of chaos to the world.



For Minions & Monsters, which was received positively by audiences and critics, the disappointing domestic figure suggests the franchise is overexploited.

With seven chapters across 16 years, the property is averaging a new adventure about every two years. That’s in contrast to Toy Story, which has benefited from scarcity, having produced only five installments over 30 years.





Elsewhere at the domestic box office, Supergirl endured a tragic 77% decline with $8.6 million from 3,602 screens in its sophomore outing. That’s below the studio’s already-low Sunday estimate of $9.6 million.

After debuting to just $37.1 million domestically, the Warner Bros. and DC comic book adaptation has earned $57.4 million in North America and $99.5 million globally to date.





Young Washington opened in third with an impressive $19.3 million from 2,700 theaters. The patriotic historical drama, whose release was smartly timed to Independence Day, was backed by the faith-based Angel Studios.

The company’s inspirational films tend to be well-received by their target demographic, and Young Washington was no different. The movie, which tells the story of George Washington before the American Revolutionary War and his presidency, earned an “A” grade on CinemaScore, in stark contrast to the 57% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.





A24’s comedy The Invite managed to crack the top 10 with $800,700 while playing on just 28 screens. That brings the total haul to $1.36 million after two weekends in limited release.

With great reviews, the movie’s commercial appeal will be tested when it expands nationwide on July 10.





Paramount’s comedy Jackass: Best and Last, which opened last weekend to weak ticket sales, dropped to the No. 8 spot with $2.7 million from 2,855 theaters, a harsh 68% decline.

The R-rated film has generated a paltry $14.6 million domestically and $20 million worldwide, so it’ll almost certainly wind up as the lowest-grossing installment of the five films.

https://variety.com/2026/film/box-of...op-1236801905/




July 3-5, 2026: Weekend Studio Estimates:

1. Minions & Monsters $62,044,900
2. Toy Story 5 $30,320,239 / $365,668,929
3. Young Washington $19,372,216
4. Supergirl $8,600,461 / $57,472,071
5. Disclose Day $5,748,500 / $105,060,385
6. Obsession $5,201,335 / $5,201,335
7. Backrooms $3,308,387 / $190,480,127
8. Jackass: Best and Last $2,731,113 / $14,721,210
9. Scary Movie $1,146,123 / $106,270,376
10. The Invite $800,708 / $1,369,500