Box office battle: Despicable Me 4 beats Inside Out 2

Despicable Me 4 is smashing the box office opening with an impressive $120 over the 4th of July weekend. The Illumination film is the latest installment from the Despicable Me and Minions franchise, and it has delivered a three-day weekend haul of $72.4 million, dominating the box office.

The Despicable Me series has become a 4th of July staple at this point. The original film debuted in 2010 with $56 million, while 2013’s Despicable Me 2 opened with a five-day debut of $143 million. The third installment in 2017 also had a strong performance, matching this year’s $120 million five-day holiday start.

With this bombastic premiere, Inside Out 2 slipped to No. 2 in its fourth weekend, pulling in an estimated $31 million. Its domestic gross is estimated at $535 million, making it the third-best showing for an animated film in North America. Elsewhere, MaXXXine made a modest $7-$8 million debut. Meanwhile, Sound of Hope: The Son of Possum failed to replicate the success of last year’s sleeper hit Sound of Freedom.