‘Minions & Monsters’ tops box office but with lower-than-expected haul

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Universal Pictures and Illumination’s Minions & Monsters topped the North American box office over the Fourth of July weekend with $61.4 million domestically, though this was below projections and marked the franchise's lowest opening to date. Despite the modest domestic debut, the film's strong international performance and the continued success of family movies like Toy Story 5 indicate steady summer box office interest as the season continues.

Universal Pictures and Illumination’s animated film Minions & Monsters led the North American box office over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, though its domestic earnings fell short of expectations. The film generated an estimated $61.4 million in the United States and Canada over the five-day period, including $36.4 million during the traditional three-day weekend. Analysts had predicted an opening closer to $68 million.

Internationally, Minions & Monsters performed strongly, earning approximately $85 million, bringing its global total to around $159.9 million against a production budget of roughly $85 million. This marks the lowest opening for the franchise, which began with Despicable Me in 2010 and has since grossed over $5.6 billion worldwide through six previous installments. The last entry, Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), amassed more than $940 million globally.

Industry observers suggest the holiday’s timing may have impacted the film’s debut, with the Fourth of July weekend landing on a Saturday this year. Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, noted that such scheduling can sometimes dampen box office results.

Following Minions & Monsters, Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 ranked second with a domestic three-day showing of $31 million. Other notable releases included Angel Studios’ biographical drama Young Washington, which earned $20.8 million; Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Supergirl, at $9.6 million; and Universal’s Disclosure Day, which made $6 million, according to Rentrak data.

The weekend’s box office figures underscored the continued strength of family-oriented films during the summer season. Toy Story 5 has now grossed $764.3 million worldwide. Meanwhile, Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie recently surpassed $1 billion globally, becoming the first film this year to reach that milestone.

Looking ahead, the summer theatrical lineup anticipates further audience engagement with upcoming releases such as Disney’s live-action Moana, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Despite a nearly 12% increase over the same period last year, the current summer box office total of approximately $2.3 billion remains about 7% below the equivalent timeframe in 2019, before the pandemic impacted theatrical attendance.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.