Overview
- The Pierre Coffin‑directed Minions prequel opened widely in North America on July 1 after a world premiere at Annecy and a $10 million start in 10 early international markets.
- Critics have praised the movie’s affectionate homages to silent‑era film and its visual, slapstick comedy, giving it an unusually high Rotten Tomatoes critic score for an Illumination title.
- Box‑office analysts project a roughly $80 million to $95 million five‑day North American opening, a forecast that reflects both the holiday calendar and the franchise’s strong family appeal.
- The picture features a high‑profile supporting voice cast including Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg and Trey Parker while Coffin again voices the Minions.
- Studios are positioning the film as a franchise refresh designed to drive theatrical attendance and feed Universal/Illumination’s wider revenue streams such as merchandise and theme‑park attractions that helped the series earn about $5.6 billion globally.