Brent Lang Executive Editor Gru and his gang of minions are setting off box office fireworks this Independence Day. “Despicable Me 4,” the latest entry in Universal and Illumination’s wildly successful animated franchise, opened to $27 million on Wednesday.
The sequel brings back Steve Carell as Gru, a recovering supervillain turned secret agent, and pits him against Will Ferrell as a French baddie named Maxime Le Mal.
Yet it’s the minions, those anarchic, highlighter-yellow critters, who are the biggest attractions, having starred in not just the “Despicable Me” films, but also a series of spinoffs.
Look for “Despicable Me 4” to earn roughly $120 million over the five-day holiday weekend. That strong showing is welcome news for movie theaters, which have endured a bruising start to the summer after promising films like “The Fall Guy” and “Furiosa” bombed.
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