Since it had no direct competition in wide release last weekend, it was no surprise thatTransformers: The Last Knightcame away with abox office win, although it was much less than expected. The action-packed sequel opened with $44.6 million, even down slightly from the $45.3 million estimate, which was still the worst opening in franchise history, far below the $70.5 million the franchise kicked off with in the 2007 movieTransformers, although the movie is still performing strong overseas. This weekend, it will face three newcomers, Universal’s animated sequelDespicable Me 3, New Line Cinema’s comedyThe Houseand Sony’sBaby Driver, which opens in theaters tomorrow, June 28.Despicable Me 3should have no trouble taking the top spot with a projected $90.2 million.
Box Office Mojoreports thatDespicable Me 3will open in more than 4,350 theaters, and while that isn’t an exact figure yet, it should be higher than the 4,301 theaters that the franchise spin-offMinionsopened with back in the summer of 2015. TheDespicable Me franchisehas been on the rise considerably after fairly modest beginnings back in 2010. The firstDespicable Memovie opened 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 2was rolled out in roughly 500 more theaters than its predecessor (3,997), debuting with an impressive $83.5 million en route to $368 million domestic and $970.7 million worldwide, from a $76 million budget.
Oddly enough, 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). While we don’t think thatDespicable Me 3will get off to quite as good a start asMinions, it’s certainly possible that it could joinMinionsin the $1 billion club when all is said and done, given the worldwide popularity of this franchise, and especially since it won’t face any animated competition for nearly a month, until Sony’sThe Emoji Moviehits theaters on July 28.Despicable Me 3is currently sitting at an impressive 81% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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 winner Trey Parker voices 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.
We’re predicting that the R-rated action comedyBaby Driver, which is currently at 98% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes heading into its sneak preview screenings tonight, will take second place with $22.6 million, followed by last week’s winnerTransformers: The Last Knightin third place, newcomerThe Housein fourth place with $18.1 million andCars 3rounding out the top 5 with $15.2 million.Baby Driverfollows a talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. The cast also includes Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and Eiza Gonzalez.
New Line Cinema’sThe Housefollows Scott and Kate Johansen (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler), who lose their daughter Alex’s college fund, as they become desperate to earn it back so she can pursue her dream of attending a university. With the help of their neighbor Frank (Jason Mantzoukas), they decide to start an illegal casino in the basement of his house.The Housealso stars Ryan Simpkins as Scott and Kate’s college hopeful daughter, Alex, along with popular comedic actors Nick Kroll, Jessie Ennis, Rob Huebel and Cedric Yarbrough. The comedy doesn’t have enough reviews posted yet to warrant a Rotten Tomatoes score, but that should change soon.
The top 10 will likely be rounded out byWonder Woman($13.6 million),47 Meters Down($4.1 million),All Eyez on Me($2.9 million),The Mummy($2.4 million) andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales($2.1 million). Also debuting in limited release is Sony Pictures Classics'13 Minutes, Neon’s documentaryThe B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography, Gunpowder & Sky’s comedyThe Little Hoursand Strand’s documentary’sThe Skyjacker’s Tale. It remains to be seen if there are plans for expansion with any of these films.
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 our top 10 predictions for the weekend of June 30, and check back on Tuesday for next week’s predictions.
