Minions 3 Falls Short of Box Office Expectations in Opening Weekend

Despite topping the North American box office and receiving favourable reviews from critics, the latest Minions film opened below industry expectations. However, its strong international performance is keeping hopes alive for a successful theatrical run.

The holiday weekend in the United States and Canada ended with Minions 3 taking the No. 1 spot at the box office. The latest instalment in the Despicable Me franchise is set in 1920s Hollywood, but audience turnout was lower than both the studio and industry analysts had anticipated.

A Weaker Opening Than Previous Films

During its first three days in North America, the animated feature earned $36.4 million. Including Wednesday previews and early screenings, its domestic total reached $61.4 million.

Those numbers fall well short of previous entries in the franchise. Despicable Me 4 grossed around $120 million during its first five days, while Minions: The Rise of Gru debuted with $122 million. Even the original Despicable Me earned $56 million during its standard opening weekend back in 2010.

Although Minions 3 retained the top spot at the domestic box office, its relatively modest debut could make it more difficult to achieve blockbuster-level results amid a highly competitive summer release schedule.

International Box Office Tells a Different Story

Outside North America, the film is performing much more strongly. Having opened in 71 international markets, it has already collected $98.43 million overseas.

International audiences have traditionally played a crucial role in the success of the Minions franchise, meaning overseas earnings could more than offset the softer domestic opening. Analysts believe the film's long-term performance will largely depend on family audiences and its staying power in major theatrical markets.

Toy Story 5 Continues Its Strong Run

The second spot at the North American box office went to Toy Story 5. The Pixar sequel added approximately $31 million over the weekend, bringing its worldwide total to $764.3 million.

Of that figure, $366 million has come from North America. The film also enjoyed a particularly strong debut in Japan, where it earned $14.6 million, setting a new opening-weekend record for a Disney Hollywood release in the country.

Historical Drama Delivers the Weekend's Biggest Surprise

One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was Young Washington, released by Angel Studios and Wonder Project. The historical drama, which explores the early life of future US President George Washington, claimed third place with approximately $16.5 million.

The film, which made extensive use of artificial intelligence during production, received an excellent CinemaScore grade of A. That strong audience response could help fuel its box office performance through positive word of mouth in the coming weeks.