
The latest chapter in the lowbrow but lucrative "Minions" franchise debuted atop the North American box office this weekend, edging out another popular animation series in "Toy Story," industry estimates showed Sunday.
Universal's "Minions & Monsters" -- featuring the gibberish-spouting yellow creatures who stole the show in multiple "Despicable Me" films -- pulled in $36.4 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period, which Exhibitor Relations said was the franchise's lowest opening.
The film, a chaotic gag-filled take on early Hollywood, raked in an additional $98 million from international showings.
"Minions" displaced "Toy Story 5" from the top spot, two weeks after the Disney-Pixar offering took home the year's best opening weekend in North America, at $160 million.
The sequel -- featuring Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their gang of toys fighting for survival against competition from screen-based tech -- came in second with another $31 million.
Debuting at third spot with $20.8 million on this Independence Day weekend was the historical epic "Young Washington," about an American founding father earning his military stripes during the French and Indian War, decades before commanding the Continental Army during the American revolution.
Released by independent Angel Studios, known as a faith-based operation that eschews traditional Hollywood approaches, the film features stars Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis and Mary-Louise Parker and showcases William Franklyn-Mille as Washington.
Slipping two spots to fourth was "Supergirl," a Warner Bros sci-fi effort starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, a cousin of Superman who also possesses superhuman strength. It earned $9.6 million in its second weekend.
Holding on to fifth place is the Stephen Spielberg-directed sci-fi thriller "Disclosure Day," which earned $6 million for a current total of $105 million.
With an ensemble cast led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, the action-packed Universal film follows an effort to reveal a decades-long coverup of extraterrestrial visitations.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Obsession" ($5.3 million)
"Backrooms" ($3.3 million)
"Jackass: Best and Last" ($2.7 million)
"Scary Movie" ($1.1 million)
"The Invite" ($800,000)

Virtual actress Tilly Norwood, who hasn't been cast in a film since her career was launched in fall 2025, may finally be getting her breakthrough role -- despite Hollywood's disdain. Her creators, studio Particle 6, said Monday they will create a feature film for her to star in, a film that will be
5 hours ago
Streaming platforms Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon's Prime Video said Monday they have filed appeals with French authorities to challenge new rules requiring them to allocate 20 percent of audiovisual content investment to animation, documentaries and live performances. "These new rules suddenly doubl
1 days ago
DreamWorks Animation has announced a spin-off film centred on Donkey, the talkative and witty character from the Shrek universe, with Eddie Murphy returning to voice the lead role. The film is scheduled for release on June 30, 2028. The new film will focus on Donkey rather than Shrek, with the full
8 days ago
Michael, the biopic based on the life of pop icon Michael Jackson, has become the highest-grossing biopic in film history, earning $977 million worldwide and surpassing Oppenheimer’s previous record of nearly $975 million. Released in 2023, Oppenheimer had topped the list after grossing about $975
8 days ago