Animation Dominates… Again!

Wow, the odds really are in animation’s favor at the box office lately! Despicable Me 2 – which already opened with a great $83 million last weekend – took the #1 spot again this weekend. Competition wasn’t too heavy, as Grown Ups 2 stayed flat and Pacific Rim opened well enough. However, the sequel to the 2010 hit grossed more on Friday than Despicable Me 2, but the minions won the weekend overall with a $43 million gross. It dropped a solid 47% from last weekend, but with the 4th of July opening launchpad, the film rocketed past $200 million with ease, meaning it will reach the $300 million threshold. To date, Despicable Me 2 has made $228 million, as it’s catching up to Pixar’s Monsters University.

With good critical reception, great word of mouth and the Despicable Me brand behind it, Despicable Me 2 will probably stay at #1 next weekend unless The Conjuring opens big given the hype. The only other film opening next weekend that could dethrone it is RED 2, since the first one was a sleeper hit and this one ought to open with a good amount. Despicable Me 2 should gross less than $30 million next weekend, so RED 2 could possibly top that since the original opened with $21 million back in 2010 (Wow, a lot of sequels to 2010 films have been opening lately!) and, again, was a surprise success that had good word of mouth. That all being said, Gru & Co. will still hang onto the top five and the film will be 2013’s first animated film to cross $300 million domestically.

Worldwide, the sequel sits at $472 million. Since the first film did very well overseas, this one ought to explode. The overseas total is currently $243 million, which is already not too far behind the first film’s already good-sized $291 million overseas gross.

How much do you think it’ll make in the long run? What do you think it will finish up with worldwide? Sound off!