For the first time in six weeks, an animated film didn’t dominate the top spot of the box office.
Don’t worry, Despicable Me 4and Inside Out 2 still took No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. But Twisters, the long-awaited sequel to 1996’s Twister (starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt), blew its competition away, earning an estimated $80.5 million. Accounting for inflation, that’s about what its predecessor earned its opening weekend in 1996. Add in another $42 million from international markets and Twisters is off to a whirlwind start with $123 million worldwide.
Gru and his minions were probably bunkering down away from the tornadoes, bringing home only an estimated $23.8 million to land in 2nd place. But the fourth Despicable Me flick has already earned $259 million domestically and more than half a billion worldwide. And since both the top two films come out of Universal Pictures, something tells me Gru’s bosses are wiping their tears with Benjamin Franklin’s face.
Inside Out 2 took an estimated $12.8 million this weekend, securing the bronze medal ahead of the start of the Olympics. That brings the sequel’s domestic tally to $596 million, just $12 million shy of knocking Incredibles 2 out of the top domestic animated film spot. And with $1.44 billion worldwide, it only needs another $10 million to dethrone Frozen II as the highest grossing animated film of all time.
Last week’s silver medalist, Longlegs, slipped to fourth place, earning an estimated $11.6 million. But the horror film still nearly doubled the No. 5 competitor’s earnings: A Quiet Place: Day One, which only earned $6.1 million.
Bad Newz, another box office newcomer fared considerably worse, earning just over $1 million. And Oddity, a horror film rooted in the occult, did even more poorly, taking home $555,500.
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Hey guys! Regarding Inside Out 2’s box office status, a lot of outlets are reporting that it will become the highest grossing animated film of all time. However, this is not true, as it would still need to supplant The Lion King 2019, which made $1.6 million. The Lion King 2019 is the current highest grossing animated film.