Universal Pictures’ Minions is on track to easily be the box office champion this weekend, but there’s also a possibility that the movie could be the leader in another category.
According to Box Office Mojo , Minions is estimated to bring in $120.9 million in its opening weekend, but some analysts say there’s a possibility it could have the highest opening for an animated movie. Minions is already on track to top the debuts of Shrek 2 ($108 million) and Toy Story 3 ($110.3 million), and it could surpass the amount brought in by Shrek the Third ($121.6 million), which currently holds the title. The final numbers will be released Monday, July 13.
Minions had a successful Friday, bringing in $46.2 million, and it also shattered a record during its special Thursday night screenings. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Minions scored $6.2 million during Thursday night, the most any animated movie has brought in during special screenings.
Two other new features opened this weekend, but neither of them are a match for Minions . The found-footage horror movie, The Gallows , is looking to bring in $10.8 million, and the Ryan Reynolds/Ben Kingsley psychological thriller, Self/less , is predicted to bring in just $5 million.
So many moviegoers are flocking to Minions this weekend that the film will also top its two predecessors. According to Variety , Despicable Me brought in $56.3 million when it premiered in 2010, and Despicable Me 2 opened to $83.5 million. The two films went on to respectively bring in $251.5 million and $368 million during their initial runs.
Not even the holdovers stand a chance against Minions . Last weekend’s champion, Inside Out , captured just $5.3 million on Friday, as did the summer’s most successful movie, Jurassic World , according to Deadline . Both films are looking to tie for second place with $18 million.
Terminator: Genisys , which had a weak debut last weekend, is seeing a steep decline in its second week. The fifth movie in the sci-fi franchise is predicted to snag $13 million, which would bring its total to a woeful $68 million. Magic Mike XXL , on the other hand, will only see a small dip in attendance. The Channing Tatum-starring feature is expected to grab around $10 million at the box office.
Minions marks the fifth movie this year for Universal Pictures to open north of $50 million at the box office. The others that have accomplished that feat include Jurassic World , Pitch Perfect , Furious 7 , and Fifty Shades of Grey . Minions is also looking to be the fourth movie this year to open with more than $100 million in its opening weekend. The other films that have done that this year are Jurassic World , The Avengers: Age of Ultron , and Furious 7 .
[Image credit: Universal Pictures via /Film ]
