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Minions & Monsters Eyes Strong Opening After Positive Previews

Positive festival reviews, early overseas receipts and bullish industry tracking suggest the film could give Illumination room to expand the franchise’s creative scope.

Overview

  • The film, which opens Wednesday, July 1, 2026, moves the Minions to 1920s Hollywood and follows their attempt to make a monster movie while drawing on silent‑era film references.
  • Early critic screenings and festival play produced broadly favorable notices with the first Rotten Tomatoes reviews all marked “fresh,” signaling warm early critical traction.
  • Limited releases in about 10 markets generated roughly $10.3 million, led by a $6.2 million start in France, giving the studio some early international momentum ahead of the wide rollout.
  • Industry trackers are forecasting a three‑day U.S. opening in the $75–$85 million range and a five‑day North American haul nearer to $95–$115 million, figures that would be profitable against the reported $85 million production cost.
  • Director Pierre Coffin has said the film pushes technical and aesthetic boundaries, and the studio will likely use opening results to decide whether to pursue broader, more experimental Minions stories.