Over the extended 4th of July weekend, a lot of Americans lit up the grill and spent time with family. A lot unfolded lawn chairs and watched a fireworks show. And a whole lot bought tickets to see Despicable Me 2. The $76 million animated film from Universal and Illumination Entertainment crushed the competition in its first five days in theaters, earning a jaw-dropping $142 million — $82.5 million of which came in during the traditional Friday-to-Sunday frame. In fact, Despicable Me 2, which features the voice work of Steve Carrell and Kristen Wiig, led the box office to the best July 4th weekend of all time. Over the Friday-to-Sunday period, the Top 12 movies grossed $220.7 million, which marks the 10th-strongest weekend in box office history. Despicable Me 2‘s $82.5 million start just barely beat Monsters University‘s $82.4 million debut (though that film opened on a Friday, not a Wednesday), and its $142.5 million start stands as the best ever five-day opening for an animated film ahead of Shrek 2‘s $128.9 million haul in May 2004. Like that film, Despicable Me 2 earned an “A” CinemaScore grade from audiences. Universal reports that crowds were 60-percent female and 55-percent below the age of 25 — the studio adds that 27 percent of viewers were Hispanic. “We knew it was going to be hugely successful,” admits Nikki Rocco, Universal’s president of distribution, who says family business was “phenomenal” and made up “the bulk of business” She also points to the film’s prime summer release date and the fact that families were together for the July 4th holiday as contributing factors. Internationally, Despicable Me 2 topped the box office in 36 of the 38 countries it played in this weekend and has earned $151.1 million overseas, which brings its very early worldwide total to $293.2 million. Read more http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/07/07/box-office-despicable-me-2-lone-ranger-2/
