The 2015 spin-off Minions earned a franchise-best $115.7 million opening weekend, but it still couldn’t surpass the $368 million domestic mark of Despicable Me 2, bringing in $336 million.
The first Despicable Me movie opened with a solid $56.3 million from 3,476 theaters, en route to $251.5 million domestic and $543.1 million worldwide, from a $69 million budget.
Most box office analysts were predicting that the highly-anticipated Despicable Me sequel, Despicable Me 3, would have no trouble running away with the box office this weekend.
Box Office Mojo reports that, while Despicable Me 3 may have opened less than expected, it did break a box office record that has stood for the past seven years.