Despicable Me 3 opens to $192.3 million globally, Wonder Woman and Pirates pass $700 million
Gru and the Minions again dominated the box office this weekend, with Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment‘s Despicable Me 3 opening to $75.4 million domestically from 4,529 theaters and taking in $95.6 million from 52 territories overseas (the film opened in 46 new territories this weekend). The international total has now reached $116.9 million, and combined with the domestic take, the sequel is already up to $192.3 million worldwide. There are 15 more territories to release over the next two months. Next weekend, Despicable Me 3 opens in China, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Trinidad and Iceland.
The first Despicable Me film opened to $56.4 million domestically in 2010 and the second film with $83.5 million in 2013. The Minions spin-off, meanwhile, debuted with $115.7 million its first weekend in 2015.
Receiving an A- CinemaScore from audiences, Despicable Me 3 was directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, and co-directed by Eric Guillon. It features the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate, and Julie Andrews.
Second place at the domestic box office belonged to writer/director Edgar Wright’s music-driven Baby Driver, starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzales, Jon Hamm, and Jamie Foxx. Baby Driver, from TriStar Pictures, MRC, Working Title, and Big Talk Pictures, earned $21 million its first weekend from 3,226 theaters and has grossed $30 million since opening on Wednesday. Made for just $34 million, the film received an A- CinemaScore. By the end of the holiday weekend, Baby Driver will become Edgar Wright’s all-time highest-grossing film domestically and is on pace to become the biggest hit of Wright’s career worldwide.
Director Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight (Paramount Pictures) dropped 63% in ticket sales and down to third place in North America its second weekend with $17 million, for a total of $102.1 million. As was the case with the last two Transformers movies, the film is performing much better overseas, taking in another $68 million this weekend from 44 markets. The international total is now $327.8 million (with $193.5 million coming from China), while the worldwide total is $429.9 million. By comparison, Transformers: Age of Extinction earned $245.4 million total domestically and $858.6 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $1.104 billion. Made for $217 million, Transformers: The Last Knight stars Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Jerrod Carmichael, Laura Haddock and Isabela Moner.
While Warner Bros.’ The House didn’t do so well (more on that below), the studio’s Wonder Woman continues to be a juggernaut worldwide, with another $15.6 million its fifth weekend domestically in the fourth spot and $13.6 million overseas. The Patty Jenkins-directed film has now earned $346.1 million in North America (that’s higher than Man of Steel‘s $291 million, Batman v Superman‘s $330.4 million, and Suicide Squad‘s $325.1 million) and $361.8 million internationally ($88.5 million from China), for a global total of $707.9 million. Made for $149 million, Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen and Lucy Davis.
Disney•Pixar‘s Cars 3 rounded out the top five domestically with $9.5 million, for a three-week total of $14.5 million. Internationally, the third installment added $5 million and has collected $53.1 million. The global total is at $173.8 million, but Cars 3 still has yet to open in Spain, the UK, Japan, France, Italy and Germany. Directed by Brian Fee, Cars 3 features the voices of Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Armie Hammer, Larry the Cable Guy, Kerry Washington, Nathan Fillion, Cheech Marin, and Lea DeLaria.
Moviegoers were not very interested in The House, starring Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and Jason Mantzoukas, which debuted with just $9 million from 3,134 theaters in sixth place. Internationally, the comedy collected $2.7 million from 20 markets. Directed by Andrew Jay Cohen, The House received a B- CinemaScore.
Meanwhile, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales also crossed the $700 million mark at the global box office after five weeks of release. Through July 2, the film has taken in an estimated $708.7 million, including $166 million domestic and $543 million international. It is The Walt Disney Studios’ third release of 2017 to reach this milestone and the fourth Pirates film to do so. Combined, the five Pirates of the Caribbean films have now surpassed $4.4 billion worldwide. The previous installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, earned $241 million domestically and $804.6 million internationally, for a global total of $1.045 billion. Directed by Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kevin R. McNally, Kaya Scodelario, Golshifteh Farahani, Stephen Graham, David Wenham and Geoffrey Rush. It cost $230 million to make.