Most box office analysts were predicting that the highly-anticipatedDespicable Me sequel,Despicable Me 3, would have no trouble running away with the box office this weekend. While that prediction ultimately came true, the sequel came in less than expected, opening with $75.4 million, easily beating fellow newcomersBaby Driver, which opened on Wednesday, June 28, and the original comedyThe Housestarring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler. WhileDespicable Me 3didn’t open with a franchise low, it did mark a significant drop from the last few entries in the franchise.
Box Office Mojoreports that, whileDespicable Me 3may have opened less than expected, it did break a box office record that has stood for the past seven years.Despicable Me 3opened in a record-breaking 4,529 theaters, breaking the record previously set by 2010’sThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which opened in 4,468 theaters on the exact same date asDespicable Me 3seven years ago, on August 04, 2025. The animated sequel earned an impressive $16,651 per-screen average, almost making back its entire $80 million budget from the domestic opening alone, although it earned an additional $116.9 million overseas for a worldwide opening weekend of $192.3 million. Still, the domestic debut was down significantly from bothDespicable Me 2and the spin-offMinions.
The firstDespicable Me movieopened with a solid $56.3 million from 3,476 theaters, en route to $251.5 million domestic and $543.1 million worldwide, from a $69 million budget. The 2013 follow-upDespicable Me 2debuted in 3,997, roughly 500 theaters more than its predecessor, debuting with an impressive $83.5 million en route to $368 million domestic and $970.7 million worldwide, from a $76 million budget. The 2015 spin-offMinionsearned a franchise-best $115.7 million opening weekend, but it still couldn’t surpass the $368 million domestic mark ofDespicable Me 2, bringing in $336 million. However, it did earn roughly $200 million more internationally thanDespicable Me 2, with its foreign take of $823.3 million bringing its worldwide total to $1.15 billion, the second highest grossing animated movie of all time behindFrozen($1.2 billion). This lower debut is just the latest in a string of sequels that have earned less than their predecessors, signalling that there is quite a bit of “franchise fatigue” when it comes to moviegoers.
After he is fired from the Anti-Villain League for failing to take down the latest bad guy to threaten humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a major identity crisis. But when a mysterious stranger shows up to inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother, a brother who desperately wishes to follow in his twin’s despicable footsteps, one former super-villain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad. Steve Carell not only reprises his role as Gru inDespicable Me 3, but also takes on a second part-that of Dru, Gru’s long-lost twin brother. Kristen Wiig returns as super-spy Lucy, while Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winnerTrey Parkervoices new villainBalthazar Bratt, a former child star who has become obsessed with the evil TV character he played in the ’80s. Gru’s most formidable and comedic nemesis to date, Bratt is out to take down Hollywood, and anyone who stands in his way.
The top 10 is rounded out byBaby Driver($21 million),Transformers: The Last Knight($17 million),Wonder Woman($16.1 million),Cars 3($9.5 million),The House($9 million),47 Meters Down($4.6 million),The Beguiled($3.2 million),The Mummy$2.7 million) andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales($2.4 million). Also debuting in limited release is Gunpowder & Sky’s comedyThe Little Hours, which earned $61,560 from just two theaters for an impressive $30,780 per-screen average, Sony Pictures Classics'13 Minutes, which took in $12,612
from three theaters for a $4,204 per-screen average, Neon’s documentaryThe B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography, which earned $12,078 from three theaters for a $4,026 per-screen average, although no box office data was released for Strand’s documentary’sThe Skyjacker’s Tale.
Looking ahead to next weekend, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’Spider-Man: Homecomingis the only movie slated for wide release on July 7, marking the second Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie of the year, following the blockbuster sequelGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with the studio closing out its year withThor: Ragnarokon November 3. Also opening in limited release next weekend is IFC’sCity of Ghosts, A24’sA Ghost Story, OScilloscope Pictures’Santoalla, Parade Deck Films’Superpowerless, Argot Pictures’Swim Teamand Vertical Entertainment’sUndercover Grandpa. Take a look at the top 10 estimates for the weekend of June 30, and check back on Tuesday for next week’s predictions.
