'Despicable Me 4' Nabs $123M Box Office Debut, Affirming Gru (Alongside His Minions) as the King of July 4th Weekend

The Independence Day holiday belongs, once again, to Gru and the Minions as part four opens with $123 million in five days for a new $229 million global cume.

Despicable Me 4 dominated the box office over Independence Day weekend, again affirming that Illumination’s flagship franchise has displaced Will Smith (1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2008) and Spider-Man (2004, 2012 and 2019) as the king of the July 4th frame. The fourth entry in the Gru-centric series, and the sixth overall alongside the two Minions spin-offs, earned $75 million in the Fri-Sun portion of a $122 million Wed-Sun launch. That’s above the $72.4 million Fri-Sun debut (amid a $99 million Fri-Tues opening in 2017) of Despicable Me 3 and essentially tied with the $123 million Fri-Mon debut of Minions: The Rise of Gru on this weekend in 2022.  

Not only is Universal’s “reformed supervillain and his absurdist henchmen” series about to become the first $2 billion-plus animated franchise, but it’s also among the most consistent of any A-level theatrical brand. Allow me a quick trip down memory lane for context.