Animated sequel Despicable Me 2 stole the show this weekend following a highly successful early July 4th holiday opening. Gru and his wildly popular minion crew outdid themselves with an $82 million debut, well beyond the $56 million opening for the first movie back in 2010.
Adding in the two early days of holiday showings and the sequel's $142 million total for its first five days is the highest for an animated movie, just edging out Toy Story 3's $141 million five-day gross.
While the first place winner was a major success, second place was pure tragedy. The Lone Ranger rode in on a dead horse, banking just $29 million for a distant second place. Over the five-day holiday Ranger banked just $48 million, a distressing number in comparison to the movie's hefty $215 million budget. Even with international sales rolled in, the movie has yet to break the $100 million mark, making it a likely candidate for summer's biggest dud.
Kevin Hart's comedy special Let Me Explain, a film edition of his 2012 touring show which reportedly had over $32 million in ticket sales, added to that bottom line. In less than a thousand theaters it still generated just over $10 million this weekend, for a $17 million five-day total. That's the second highest weekend total for a stand-up comedy show, right behind 2000's The Original Kings of Comedy. It's also a big step up for Hart, whose Laugh At My Pain special only earned $1 million back in 2011.
For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below:
