'Despicable Me 3' powers a strong 4th of July weekend at the box office
Its latest title, "Despicable Me 3," won the Fourth of July weekend with an estimated $75 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.
The successful franchise, led by the voice talents of Steve Carell, easily ran away with the box office win, as its closest competition, Edgar Wright's latest hit "Baby Driver," came in second with $21 million.
Though it doesn't look like the "Despicable Me" franchise is going to end anytime soon, "Me 3" didn't surpass 2013's "Despicable Me 2" opening weekend of $83.5 million.
Wright's heist/car chase movie, which is a critical darling with a 97% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, opened on Wednesday and has a five-day total of $30 million (the movie was made for around $34 million).
That's one of the worst openings ever for Ferrell - even worse than 1998's "A Night at the Roxbury" ($9.6 million). With its litany of big-name stars, "The House" cost an estimated $40 million to make.
The three main wide releases this weekend (but mostly "Despicable Me") helped Hollywood rebound from a dismal Independence Day at the movies last year, which saw lackluster openings from "The Legend of Tarzan" ($38.5 million), "The Purge: Election Year" ($31.5 million), and "The BFG" ($18.7 million).