After a noticeably dull first half of the year for theaters and the film industry, things are starting to look up again. Despicable Me 4 was released on the eve of July 4th. The long weekend of five holidays certainly boosted the film’s box office numbers. The Universal Pictures animated film has drawn huge audiences since its release on Wednesday, surpassing the $120 million mark.
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Despicable Me 4 grosses $126 million at box office
Despicable Me 4 is the fourth installment in one of the most beloved animated franchises. The film already holds enviable records with its previous films and now the latest installment blew $126.5 million at the box office within 5 days of its release. As reported by Deadline, the film started off with a steady $27 million opening on Friday but gained momentum and ticket sales skyrocketed. The Despicable Me franchise first debuted in 2010, followed by two main sequels and two Minions spin-offs.
The high engagement with the film is not only due to the holiday weekend. Universal Pictures and Illuminations spent a considerable amount of money on the promotional campaigns. The campaign included various collaborations and approaches to appeal to audiences of all ages.
The animated film teamed up with the NFL and featured Minions and Gru sculptures in the form of inflatables, studio tour greetings, character costumes, food and beverages, and theater wraps at CityWalk. To appeal to a younger audience, an integration with Roblox was secured, along with tickets in 16 languages and an Amazon gift card program with one of five Mega Minion Digital Backpacks as a reward upon redemption.
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Family films dominate the box office this summer
The box office has seen a successful trend in the last few months with Inside Out 2 currently in its fourth weekend of release and sitting on a $1.22 billion gross, as reported by AP. The trend that stands out here is the successful performance of family films at the box office. Universal’s distribution chief said: “This is one of the most beloved franchises, honestly, in the history of film, and certainly animation,” said Universal’s distribution chief Jim Orr. “Chris Meledandri and Illumination have their finger on the pulse of what families and audiences around the world want to see.”
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