Box Office: 'Minions' boasts record $115.2M debut for $395.7M global total
Boo ya!
In another victory for moviegoing in North America, Minions jabbered its way an estimated $115.2 million debut to nab the second-biggest weekend of all time for an animated title, not accounting for inflation. And overseas, where it began rolling out two weekends ago, the movie also placed No. 1 with $124.3 million from 56 markets for a whopping foreign total of $280.5 million and worldwide cume of $395.7 million.
That includes a $46.2 million Friday domestically, the best opening day in history for an animated film. The victory is all the more sweet, considering Illumination Entertainment and Universal spent $74 million to make the Despicable Me prequel, a relatively modest number for an animated title.
Read MoreWhy the 'Deadpool' Trailer Was the Best Received at Comic-Con
Shrek the Third ($122.5 million) continues to boast the biggest three-day debut of all time, while Minions, playing in 4,301 theaters, beat out Toy Story 3 ($110.3 million). Only one other animated film, Shrek 2 ($108 million), has crossed $100 million in its first weekend.
Internationally, Minions has scored the biggest opening for an animated title in 25 markets -; including $12.2 million in France, the top debut for any film since 2012 and Universal's No. 1 of all time.
In North America, comparisons to Despicable Me 2 are difficult, since the sequel debuted over the long Fourth of July weekend in 2013, earning $143.1 million for the Wednesday-Sunday stretch, including a three-day take of $83.5 million.
Read MoreComic-Con: Quentin Tarantino Talks 'Hateful Eight' Script Leak, Clarifies Retirement Plans
Minions, receiving an A CinemaScore, follows the minions as they attend Villain-Con in Florida and find a new master in Scarlett Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock. She's determined to rule England and soon, the gang all travel to London. The voice cast also includes Pierre Coffin, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan and Geoffrey Rush.
Elsewhere, Blumhouse and Entertainment 360's micro-budgeted horror film The Gallows opened to an estimated $10 million from 3,376 locations, putting it at No. 5.
The movie, acquired by New Line and Warner Bros., cost under $1 million to make. The film centers on students who resurrect a failed high school play 20 years after a horrific accident in a small town. Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing directed Gallows, which has been skewered by critics and earned a C CinemaScore (not unusual for a horror offering).
Read More'Minions': Film Review
This weekend's third new offering was Gramercy Pictures' $26 million sci-fi thriller Self/less, starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Tarsem Singh. The indie movie, from Endgame Entertainment and FilmDistrict, quickly transformed into a box-office disappointment, opening to $5.4 million from 2,353 theaters for an eighth-place finish.
Self/less was made when Peter Schlessel was still running FilmDistrict; once he took over Focus Features, that company took over distribution duties (Grammercy is Focus' genre division). A good chuck of the movie's budget was covered through foreign presales.
Read More'Boulevard' Director Praises Robin Williams' "Humanity," Dedication to Final Dramatic Role
Elsewhere, Universal's Jurassic World came in No. 2 in its fifth weekend with $18.1 million from 3,441 locations for a domestic total of $590.7 million. It is poised to become only the fourth film in history to cross the $600 million mark domestically after Avatar ($760.5 million), Titanic ($658.7 million) and The Avengers ($623.4 million).
Minions no doubt took a bite out of Pixar and Disney's Inside Out, which placed No. 3 its its fourth weekend with $17.1 million from 3,644 theaters for a domestic total of $283.6 million. Overseas, where the animated tentpole is rolling out slowly, Inside Out grossed $19.1 million from 44 territories for a global haul of $435.4 million.
Paramount and Skydance's Terminator: Genisys continued to struggle, earning meek $13.7 in its second frame from 3,783 locations for a domestic cume of $68.7 million. Warner Bros.' Magic Mike XXL held in somewhat better, earning $9.6 million from 3,376 theaters in its sophmore session for a North American total of $48.4 million.
Read MoreAmy Winehouse Doc Pushes Late Singer Back Into U.K. Album Charts
The specialty box office saw a flurry of new openings -; including Robin Williams' final film, Boulevard -; while Asif Kapadia's Amy Winehouse documentary Amy continued to post some of the biggest numbers in years for a documentary as it expanded into a total of 341 theaters in its second outing, grossing $1.8 million and moving up the box-office chart to No. 12. Released in the U.S. by A24 Films, Amy's domestic total is $2.1 million, while its weekend screen average was $5,131.
Numbers weren't immediately available for Boulevard.
More on The Hollywood Reporter:
Why the 'Deadpool' trailer was the best received at Comic-Con
Comic-Con: 'American Horror Story: Hotel' character names revealed
Comic-Con: 'Muppets' Steal the Spotlight, get standing ovation
