‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’ Impresses With $300M At Domestic Box Office Despite Pandemic

“Minions: The Rise of Gru” proved its appeal to families across the country after crossing the $300-million mark at the domestic box office about 25 days after its premiere on July 1.

The Illumination Entertainment and Universal big-screen offering became the first animated pic to cross the $300-million mark domestically during the COVID-19 pandemic, Deadline reported Tuesday.

“The Rise of Gru” also beat “Frozen 2’s” record for the same period length back in November 2019. As of late, it is pacing 4% ahead of 2015’s “Minions,” which concluded its stateside run with a record of $336 million.

Even though the title is already in its fourth weekend, it still managed to rake in $18 million. On Monday, the movie earned $2.75 million from 3,816 locations.

Considering its performance, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” could outpace “Despicable Me 2,” the biggest release in the franchise with a domestic record of $368 million.

To date, only six movies managed to cross $300 million in sales in the U.S. and Canada markets during the pandemic. Aside from “Rise of Gru,” the list includes “Jurassic World Dominion” ($366.1 million), “The Batman” ($369 million), “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($411.3 million), “Top Gun: Maverick” ($637.3 million) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($800 million).

Internationally, the new “Minions” movie has also been performing well, with Collider reporting that it already bagged $600 million worldwide.

Part of the success of “The Rise of Gru” is credited to the fact that the movie has the widest market release for an Illumination and Universal animation.

The animated pic stars Steve Carell as the titular Gru. He is joined by a star-studded cast, including Julie Andrews, Taraji P. Henson, Lucy Lawless, Michelle Yeoh, Alan Arkin, Russell Brand, Pierre Coffin and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

According to the film’s official plot summary, it is set in the 1970s and follows a young Gru as he devises a plan to join the supervillain supergroup the Vicious 6. With the help of his Minions, Gru builds his lair and first weapons to pull off his first mission. He then gets a chance to be the latest recruit of the team, but things don’t go his way.