Could ‘Minions’ Have The Highest Opening For An Animated Movie?

Universal Pictures’ Minions is on track to easily be the box office champion this weekend, but there’s also a possibility that the movie could be the leader in another category.

According to Box Office Mojo, Minions is estimated to bring in $120.9 million in its opening weekend, but some analysts say there’s a possibility it could have the highest opening for an animated movie. Minions is already on track to top the debuts of Shrek 2 ($108 million) and Toy Story 3 ($110.3 million), and it could surpass the amount brought in by Shrek the Third ($121.6 million), which currently holds the title. The final numbers will be released Monday, July 13.

Minions had a successful Friday, bringing in $46.2 million, and it also shattered a record during its special Thursday night screenings. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Minions scored $6.2 million during Thursday night, the most any animated movie has brought in during special screenings.

Two other new features opened this weekend, but neither of them are a match for Minions. The found-footage horror movie, The Gallows, is looking to bring in $10.8 million, and the Ryan Reynolds/Ben Kingsley psychological thriller, Self/less, is predicted to bring in just $5 million.

So many moviegoers are flocking to Minions this weekend that the film will also top its two predecessors. According to Variety, Despicable Me brought in $56.3 million when it premiered in 2010, and Despicable Me 2 opened to $83.5 million. The two films went on to respectively bring in $251.5 million and $368 million during their initial runs.

Not even the holdovers stand a chance against Minions. Last weekend’s champion, Inside Out, captured just $5.3 million on Friday, as did the summer’s most successful movie, Jurassic World, according to Deadline. Both films are looking to tie for second place with $18 million.

Terminator: Genisys, which had a weak debut last weekend, is seeing a steep decline in its second week. The fifth movie in the sci-fi franchise is predicted to snag $13 million, which would bring its total to a woeful $68 million. Magic Mike XXL, on the other hand, will only see a small dip in attendance. The Channing Tatum-starring feature is expected to grab around $10 million at the box office.

Minions marks the fifth movie this year for Universal Pictures to open north of $50 million at the box office. The others that have accomplished that feat include Jurassic World, Pitch Perfect, Furious 7, and Fifty Shades of Grey. Minions is also looking to be the fourth movie this year to open with more than $100 million in its opening weekend. The other films that have done that this year are Jurassic World, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Furious 7.

[Image credit: Universal Pictures via /Film]