Three-day estimates have Minions: The Rise of Gru at $108.5 million for a possible four-day gross of $127.9 million. This beats my four-day $95M forecast as I really underestimated how much families and kids really love this franchise. So why did this work and Lightyear didn’t? Lightyear disappointed Toy Story fans while Minions: The Rise of Gru played with a familiar formula that did not disappoint fans. Speaking of the fans, they really enjoyed it and graced the film with a stunning ‘A’ CinemaScore. This bodes well for word of mouth down the line. We’ll update tomorrow with official four-day estimates as Universal/Illumination is certainly popping champagne as we speak to celebrate their success. In second place is Top Gun: Maverick, which is enjoying America’s holiday benefits with a sixth weekend of $25.5 million in three days. That’s a slight 14% drop from last weekend, and it looks like its four-day weekend will reach $32.5 million. There isn’t much else to say about the film’s performance, as it has defied all expectations since opening on Memorial Day weekend. So far, the film’s domestic total stands at $564 million. After grossing $37 million from overseas markets, the blockbuster brings its global total to $1.1 billion. Very well in third place is Elvis with a three-day gross of $19 million, down 39% from last weekend. Four-day estimates have it at $24 million, and what’s impressive is that the older demographic is actually driving the film to success. According to Deadline, women over 25 made up half the audience, and the over-55 crowd showed up at 33% this weekend. Budgeted at $85 million, Elvis has grossed $67.3 million at the domestic box office. In fourth place is Jurassic World: Dominion with a three-day gross of $15.6 million, down 41% from the previous weekend. Four-day estimates are at $19.2 million as the film, which was panned by critics, managed to be a huge financial success. I guess moviegoers really like dinosaurs. The film has also crossed $800 million worldwide after adding $26.8 million from 72 foreign markets. Its worldwide cume stands at $824.5 million with $331.8 million coming from the domestic front. Rounding out the top five is The Black Phone with a gross of $12.3 million. Horror movies, even good ones, see a drop of 55% or more in their second weekends and this one only managed to drop 48%. This is a major win as the film really connects with fans of the genre. Four-day estimates put Blumhouse’s latest effort at $14.6 million as the film brings its domestic total to $47.4 million. What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?
