Box Office: ‘Despicable Me 3’ Opens With $4.1 Million in North America
With Gru and the minions returning, “Despicable Me 3” has launched with an impressive $4.1 million at 4,020 North American locations in Thursday night previews.
New Line’s R-rated comedy “The House,” starring Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell, took in $800,000 in previews.
Illumination and Universal’s threequel is expected to provide plenty of fireworks for the Fourth of July holiday weekend as it opens at 4,529 locations Friday. “Despicable Me 3” has been forecast to take in $90 million to $100 million during the Friday-Sunday period, with the studio estimating a slightly lower take of around $85 million.
The franchise has been a powerful performer with a combined $955 million domestically and $2.7 billion worldwide for 2010’s “Despicable Me,” 2013’s “Despicable Me 2,” and 2015’s “Minions” spinoff. “Despicable Me 2” opened with $143 million in its first five days on July 3-7, 2013; “Minions” grossed an eye-popping $115 million in its July 10-12 domestic launch two years ago.