'Minions' dominates with $115.2 million debut

'Minions' ruled the weekend box office and was the second biggest animated film opening in history

Minions ruled the weekend box office, racking up a massive $115.2 million in North America, for the second biggest animated film opening in history.

The Universal and Illumination Entertainment spin-off to Despicable Me just missed the domestic record set by Shrek the Third's $121.6 million kickoff in 2007, while continuing animation maestro Chris Meledandri's hot streak at the multiplexes. What makes Meledandri so valuable to studios is that he keeps budgets low. Minions cost $74 million to produce, a modest number considering that Pixar and DreamWorks Animation routinely spend north of $100 million on their animated features.

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"I'm not sure the public is mindful of what films cost, they're more concerned with how they resonate," said Nick Carpou, Universal's domestic distribution chief. "Chris is able to produce films that speak to families, to children, to people everywhere."

The studio left nothing to chance when it came to reminding moviegoers why the loved the nattering, mischievous, highlighter-hued critters. Universal partnered with the likes of Snapchat, McDonald's, and Amazon to deliver nearly $600 million in publicity and promotions, according to a recent article by Bloomberg. The titular characters were ubiquitous popping up on everything from Twinkies to Chiquita bananas.

Carpou said he was made aware of the Minions' cultural currency this weekend while on an outing to a mall. A store featuring plush toys prominently displayed the Despicable Me characters.

"They're everywhere, those yellow guys," he said. "In a way they exist in the culture without even having a film attached to them."

The opening weekend crowd for Minions was 59% female, 55% under the age of 25, and 60% comprised of families.

"With anything that opens to over $100 million, you breach all demographics," said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. "The Minions are the stars of the Despicable Me franchise... kids love them, teens love them, and adults love them."

Minions also enjoyed a sprawling rollout, debuting in 4,301 theaters. In recent months, there's been a lot of celebrating taking place on the Universal lot. The studio is the leader in market share thanks to hits like Pitch Perfect 2 and Fifty Shades of Grey, and has two films that have crossed $1 billion at the global box office with Furious 7 and Jurassic World.

Minions was such a behemoth that two newcomers, Self/Less and The Gallows, risked getting washed away. Of them, The Gallows fared better, picking up $10 million, across 2,720 locations. The Warner Bros. found footage chiller cost less than $2 million to make, so it could be profitable. Entertainment 360 and Blumhouse Productions backed the picture about a high school play gone terribly, terribly wrong... and not in that teenagers putting on The Crucible kind of way.

Warner Bros executives say the film is a modestly priced single, but was an important showcase for writers and directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing.

"We're cultivating young filmmakers and giving them a chance to grow and prosper," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive vice president. "These are really sharp guys, who have a long career in front of them."

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Minions also took a chunk out of some of the turbo-charged blockbusters still kicking around cinemas. Jurassic World slid 54% to $18.1 million, bringing its Stateside haul to $590.6 million, while Inside Out dipped 43% to $17.1 million, pushing its domestic total to $283.6 million.

Overall ticket sales were robust, improving nearly 40% over the year-ago period when Dawn of the Planet of the Apes kicked off with $72.6 million.