Universal’s best year ever gets even better with the arrival of the animated spinoff Minions [MNION]. The lovable yellow beings are arguably the best part of the Despicable Me series. Whether the sidekicks can sustain a whole feature on their own won’t matter to the eager fanbase of all ages. The PG-rated prequel adds Sandra Bullock [SBULL] to the marque in place of Steve Carell, but her character is not the attraction. The fan favorites have been merchandised into everything and Minions are everywhere. Despicable Me 2 debuted with $83.5 million two years ago, and advance ticket sales for Minions are already ahead of that as well as Inside Out’s $90.4 million as Fandango’s best animated seller ever. Multiplying in 4302 theaters, Minions looks to divvy up $106 million.
Inside Out [NMIND] finally edged out Jurassic World [JURA4.BW] last weekend to claim first place. With direct competition from Minions, Inside Out may settle with $15.5 million. Jurassic World should follow with $14.5 million.
Terminator: Genisys [TERM5] played with nostalgia, but couldn’t overcome franchise fatigue and bad reviews. With a mid-week start and Fourth of July falling on Saturday, Terminator: Genisys may be able to hold better than 50% in sophomore session and be back with $14 million.
Warner Bros. releases The Gallows [GALOW], the latest low-budget, found-footage horror from Blumhouse. The marketing campaign hasn’t stand out and the R-rating will keep out the young teen audience. The Gallows may string up $10 million from 2720 locations.
Ryan Reynolds [RREYN] gets another chance to fail again as a box office draw. Although Self/Less [SLFLS] has an interesting sci-fi premise, Focus Features has barely marketed the PG-13 rated film. With little buzz heading into 2343 theaters, Self/Less may slash $5 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): MNION, SBULL, NMIND, TERM5, GALOW, RREYN, SLFLS