“Minions: Rise of Gru,” sequel to the first “Minions” movie and fifth installment in the Despicable Me franchise, has shattered July 4 box office records with a $125 million opening. The record was previously held by the 2011 blockbuster, “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon,” and “Rise of Gru” has had the second best opening in the franchise’s history, behind “Minions.”
After premiering on July 1, the movie found consistent moviegoers over the four day weekend, allowing it to beat this record. It has also scored a solid 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is now the 10th highest grossing film of 2022.
The movie chronicles the iconic minions after meeting their leader Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, as they go on a fast-paced adventure in 1970s San Francisco. The characters meet different supervillains as Gru tries to become a superhero, with his minions’ help. Stars like Julie Andrews, Taraji P. Henson and Danny Trejo lend their voices to the movie.
A soundtrack for the movie was also released, produced by Jack Antonoff and featuring hitmakers like Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent and Diana Ross.
Much of the drive to see the movie may have come from the “Gentleminions” TikTok trend, where members of Generation Z have been wearing suits and other fancy clothing to the theaters to see the movie. Because the first Despicable Me film came out when these teens were young kids, many of them have been anticipating the franchise’s newest installment since it was announced.
However, this has led to some issues with rowdiness, with some theaters even posting signs saying anyone in a suit is not allowed to come to the theater.
There is still a lot of anticipation for the final box office of this movie, after the first Minions movie made over $1 billion.
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