‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’, the fifth and latest film from Illumination’s ‘Despicable Me’ film series premiered on the July 4 weekend after awaiting release since 2020 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film has made $125 million over the weekend, becoming the biggest July 4 film release in the United States. It has surpassed the 2015 film ‘Minions’ which earned $115 million in the course of three days.

July 4, the day the United States celebrates its Independence, ensured a return of moviegoers to theatres, bringing great relief to the entertainment industry which had been struggling to bring back audiences to theatres after the pandemic shut them off and people became more and more reliant on over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

Also Read | The Rise of Gru: What is the viral ‘gentleminions’ trend?

Minions: The Rise of Gru’s earnings are significant because last year, overall film theatre revenue during the Independence Day weekend was $69 million. Nearly 20% of cinemas were closed at the time.  

According to Hollywood Reporter, ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ has surpassed the $115.9 million earned by 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the $115.8 M earned by Spiderman 2. Minions: The Rise of Gru has earned $93.7 million internationally and $108.5 million nationally which makes a total of $202 million globally.

The film has become hugely popular among young adults. Themes around the films have turned social media trends. A TikTok trend, #gentleminions, became viral which featured videos of boys in suits going to watch ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’. At several theatres, fans of the franchise lauded each other for going to watch the film.

Meanwhile, in several parts of the world, the social media trend #gentleminions is making waves. A cinema in the UK cancelled a showing following ‘bad behaviour and vandalism’ on account of a #gentleminions prank, according to a BBC report.