Minions & Monsters posts $13.75m opening day at US box office

Minions & Monsters, Illumination’s seventh Despicable Me franchise entry, earned an estimated $13.75 million on its Wednesday domestic opening day, according to Deadline, kicking off a five-day Fourth of July box office battle against Toy Story 5.

TL;DR

• Domestic opening day estimated at $13.75 million, with no Tuesday previews.
• The film is Certified Fresh, tracking around 90% on the Tomatometer.
• It opened in the UK on 1 July 2026 with a U certificate from the BBFC.
• Five-day domestic tracking sits between $60 million and $90 million.

What the numbers show

$13.75M — domestic opening day (Wednesday, no previews) Source: Deadline

The debut ranks as the fourth-biggest Wednesday opening ever for a July animated release, trailing 2013’s Despicable Me 2 ($35 million), 2024’s Despicable Me 4 ($27.2 million) and 2009’s Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, according to Deadline. Independence Day falls on a Saturday this year, spreading moviegoing across the full five-day frame rather than concentrating it on the holiday itself.

$60M–$90M — five-day domestic tracking range Source: Variety

Chris Meledandri produced the film, which was directed by Pierre Coffin, who also voices the Minions. It carried a net production budget of $85 million, according to Deadline, slightly below the roughly $100 million price tags of prior franchise entries.

Best-reviewed Minions film yet

Minions & Monsters has become the best-reviewed film in the 16-year-old franchise’s history. It holds a 90% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an improvement on every prior Despicable Me and Minions title, according to Deadline. The voice cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Trey Parker, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, Zoey Deutch and Christoph Waltz.

The story is set in 1927 Hollywood, following the Minions as they try to break into the film business before sound cinema derails their acting ambitions, according to Wikipedia’s summary of the plot. Reviewers have generally praised the film’s affectionate take on early Hollywood.

UK release and rating

Minions & Monsters opened in UK cinemas on 1 July 2026 through Universal Pictures International (UK), the same day as its US debut. The BBFC classified the film U for very mild comic violence, threat and rude humour, following its formal review on 21 June 2026.

U — BBFC age rating Source: British Board of Film Classification

That puts Minions & Monsters in line with earlier franchise entries for UK family audiences, though the board’s content notes flag a brief comic beheading scene played for laughs rather than horror.

What’s next

Universal is targeting an $80 million five-day domestic haul through the July 4th weekend, with exhibitor estimates ranging as high as $90 million, according to Deadline. The film also opened in 10 overseas markets last weekend, taking in more than $10 million ahead of an expansion into 59 further territories, including the UK, Germany and Mexico, this weekend.

Minions & Monsters faces competition from holdovers Toy Story 5 and Supergirl, both also chasing family and blockbuster audiences over the extended holiday frame. Read Screen & Story’s Supergirl review and Jackass: Best and Last review for more on this weekend’s box office field.

---

Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 2 July 2026.