Young Washington steals the weekend as Minions and Monsters stumble

It has not been a brilliant Fourth of July for Universal and Illumination, to put it mildly. You'd think after years of the little yellow blokes traipsing through the multiplexes—making more cash than sense—we'd never see a Minions film struggle. Yet here we are. 'Minions & Monsters', the seventh instalment in the sprawling Despicable Me universe, couldn't even manage half the expected box office clout. Honestly, bit of a shocker.

Minions & Monsters Stumbles—Big Time

Most in the business expected 'Minions & Monsters' to cruise to something like $60 million over the standard weekend, and with the extra bank holiday padding, maybe even hit $85 million in five days. The opening day figures seemed promising, but by Saturday and Sunday, the bottom fell out. Final tally: just $36.4 million. Painful stuff.

Bit of context for just how dismal that is: 'Despicable Me 4', which came out barely two years ago, managed $27.2 million in one single day. This new one has limped to a domestic total of $61.4 million across its first stretch, and while it's apparently the best reviewed entry so far—some critics calling it a minor classic of the franchise—that hasn't been enough to sort the numbers. The 'A- CinemaScore' tells you audiences aren't hating it; Universal are desperately hoping for a miracle run, but let's be honest, the Minions probably need a rest.

Toy Story 5 - Still Strong, but Losing Steam

In second spot, 'Toy Story 5' pulled in $31 million, though that's a 56% plunge from the previous week—quite a bit sharper than anyone forecast. The film's still a certifiable hit, having notched $366 million overall in the States. But compared to the runaway success of 'Inside Out 2' (that did an eye-watering $652 million back in summer 2024), it's not likely to threaten Pixar's all-time records. Realistically, it'll cap out just under $500 million domestic, which is still enormous by any sane standard.

Big Surprise: Young Washington Overperforms

Then you've got the wildcard—'Young Washington', from Angel Studios. Not a name you expect to see on summer box office leaderboards, but the historical biopic has startled everyone with a $20.8 million launch. That's bigger than 'Sound of Freedom' managed in its own July debut a couple of years ago. The film got an 'A CinemaScore', so audiences are into it, but whether it'll have the crazy staying power of 'Sound of Freedom' (which eventually gobbled up $184 million in the US alone) is anyone's guess.

Supergirl Falters Badly

Meanwhile, it's going from bad to worse for DC's 'Supergirl'. The film cratered with a 74% week-to-week drop, scraping together only $9.6 million in its second frame. Lifetime domestic? $58 million—not what Warner Bros were hoping for from their 'new direction' superhero flick. It's dire, but technically not as disastrous as the 81% nosedive 'Joker: Folie a Deux' suffered a couple of years ago. Slim solace, really.

Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Obsession, Backrooms: Quiet Wins and Curious Tracking

• 'Disclosure Day', Spielberg’s latest, finally nudged past the $100 million mark, picking up $6 million this weekend to reach $105 million domestic.
• Focus’s 'Obsession' lost a bit of heat but is still pulling strong, sliding 45% to $5.3 million. Overall haul now sits at an eye-catching $245 million—likely slowed just because it's on PVOD now.
• Indie darling 'Backrooms' (yes, the one made by a YouTuber) keeps astonishing: $3.3 million more, totalling $190 million domestic. A24 definitely smell blood, as they're about to shove an extended cut back into cinemas to see if they can force it across the $200 million line.

Jackass Drops, The Invite Hangs In

Johnny Knoxville’s swan song—or so they say—'Jackass: Best and Last' took a heavy 68% hit, flopping to a $14.69 million total. Grim reading for the old crew. On the other hand, the parody-horror 'Scary Movie' edges out its theatrical run with $113 million worldwide and an oddly impressive $106 million at home. Finally, A24's limited release 'The Invite' is impressing the art-house crowd, scoring a $28,000 per-screen average on 800 screens for an $800,000 weekend—not massive, but enough to justify a nationwide expansion next week. If early buzz holds, expect this one to build quietly into a proper sleeper.