# Minions and Monsters Box Office Flop: Franchise-Low Opening Explained

By The Current Tribune · Entertainment · Published Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:26:05 GMT · Updated Sun, 05 Jul 2026 23:26:05 GMT
Source: The Current Tribune — https://currenttribune.com/article/minions-and-monsters-box-office-franchise-low-supergirl-drop

The Fourth of July holiday was supposed to be a celebration — fireworks, family outings, and a trip to the theater for the summer’s biggest animated event. Instead, this past weekend delivered a sobering reality check for two major Hollywood studios. Universal and Illumination’s *Minions & Monsters* opened way behind projections with $36 million from 4,243 North American locations between Friday and Monday, and $61 million since its Wednesday debut — ranking as the lowest start in the entire *Despicable Me* franchise. Across town, things were even grimmer for DC: Warner Bros.’ *Supergirl* experienced a staggering 74% drop in its second weekend, earning only $9.6 million domestically — a steeper decline than infamous misfires like *The Flash* and *Morbius*.

Two studios, two very different problems. But together, they paint a portrait of a summer box office that keeps refusing to cooperate with Hollywood’s best-laid plans.

### *Minions & Monsters*: Great Reviews, Empty Seats

![Movie Review: “Minions & Monsters” | The Media Tourist](https://i0.wp.com/neilsentertainmentpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/minions-monsters.jpg?ssl=1)

On paper, *Minions & Monsters* had everything going for it. The movie debuted midweek on July 1 ahead of the Independence Day holiday and is the third Minions movie and the seventh overall theatrical installment in the smash-hit *Despicable Me* franchise. It was received positively by audiences and critics, holding a stellar 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. So why did the numbers fall so flat?

The answer, bluntly, is franchise fatigue. The disappointing domestic figure represents a massive drop from the franchise’s two most recent entries — 2022’s *Minions: The Rise of Gru* and 2024’s *Despicable Me 4* — which launched to $123 million and $122 million, respectively, over the same five-day holiday stretch. That’s not a dip; that’s a cliff. A franchise that was pulling nine-figure opening weekends two years ago is now barely cracking $60 million domestic.

The $61 million five-day total falls below even the original 2010 *Despicable Me*, which managed to earn $56 million — though that comparison doesn’t account for 16 years of inflation or the massive brand recognition the franchise has since built. Either way, the symbolism is damning.

#### What the Movie Actually Is

Critically speaking, *Minions & Monsters* is being called the best entry in the franchise — which makes the box office contradiction even stranger. Instead of chasing another world domination story, director Pierre Coffin and co-writer Brian Lynch turn their attention toward something more charming: the love of movies themselves. Set in the 1920s, the story follows a few Minions who became silent movie stars before being ousted by the arrival of sound cinema. Unable to deliver spoken lines, they’re fired and thrown to the curb — so a Minion named James decides to produce his own monster movie.

The slapstick antics of the mischievous Minions have always felt partially inspired by comedic stuntwork from the likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, so placing them in the Golden Age of Hollywood feels seamless. Director Pierre Coffin makes that influence official, explicitly referencing the likes of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd in an adventure that sees the Minions become silent comedy stars — only for their trademark gibberish speaking style to ruin the dream.

The voice cast is stacked. Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Trey Parker, Bobby Moynihan, and Phil LaMarr all commit to the material without feeling like stunt casting. There’s even a hilarious cameo from filmmaker George Lucas himself.

Reviewers largely praised the creative ambition. When all the smoke clears, Coffin manages to pull *Minions & Monsters* back to the creative impulses its first half so celebrated: the drive to make art and the collective desire to watch and enjoy it together. The friendship between James, Henry, and Ed gives the film an emotional center that many previous Minions adventures lacked.

#### The Competition Problem Nobody Expected

![Watch the Exciting New Minions & Monsters Trailer and Find Out Why It Matters](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRT9pq1JEItssBkLST9V9-MYW24ENmPpmjUiVMaJLzP-GLd8GOV0JSvNjss&s=10)

One factor that genuinely hurt *Minions & Monsters* this weekend: families didn’t totally avoid the big screen — *Toy Story 5* earned almost as much over the Friday-to-Sunday stretch with $31 million from 3,975 venues in its third weekend of release. Disney and Pixar’s sequel has now pushed its domestic total past $360 million and shows no signs of slowing down.

It’s the first time that a *Despicable Me* or *Minions* film has faced competition around this time of year from a *Toy Story*, and that’s because Pixar sequels hit theaters at a significantly slower rate — creating the kind of want and anticipation that the Illumination franchise no longer seems to generate. That’s the crux of it. When audiences could choose between a seventh *Minions* installment and a fifth *Toy Story* sequel still in full bloom, many chose the latter.

#### The Good News: International Markets Are Rescuing It

The domestic story is grim, but globally, the picture looks considerably healthier. *Minions & Monsters* saw its worldwide total reach $159.8 million across 72 territories, with international [markets delivering an $85 million weekend —](/article/vizio-mini-led-quantum-best-dumb-tv-2026) enough to keep the film profitable on a global accounting. China led the way with a $16.4 million preview-and-weekend total across 30,000 screens.

The film was produced for $85 million, making it slightly less expensive than prior entries, which cost around $100 million each. Based on the commonly used 2.5x multiplier rule, the film’s estimated break-even point sits around $212.5 million worldwide — a threshold that looks achievable given its global momentum and strong audience scores, even if domestic legs remain uncertain.

### *Supergirl*: A DC Disaster Deepens

![Supergirl Cast & Characters Guide (2026 Movie) | DIRECTV Insider](https://images-cdn1.welcomesoftware.com/assets/supergirl.jpg/Zz1hZmZiY2ZjYTcxOGMxMWYxOTEzMmQ2M2UyMmUxNDM0NA==?width=800&height=448)

If *Minions & Monsters* represents a slow erosion of goodwill, *Supergirl* represents something closer to a full collapse. The Warner Bros. and DC Studios adaptation misfired with $37.1 million in [North America](/article/lenovo-thinkpad-p14s-gen-4-launches-in-north-america) and $62.6 million globally in its opening weekend — well below the studio’s own $55 million domestic target.

Then came the second weekend, and it got worse. *Supergirl* earned just $9.6 million domestically in its second frame — a staggering 74% decline, a steeper drop-off than infamous titles like *The Flash* (72.5%) and *Morbius* (73.8%). A faith-based indie about George Washington, *Young Washington*, outperformed the $170 million DC tentpole in its second weekend — audiences were essentially telling Hollywood they’d rather watch an Angel Studios historical biopic than a superhero film starring Superman’s cousin.

#### Why Supergirl Failed

The reasons are multi-layered. Critics didn’t like *Supergirl*, which holds a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences appear mixed with a “B-” grade on CinemaScore. Initial crowds were 59% male, meaning the film didn’t break out beyond the core superhero fanbase.

Warner Bros. and DC spent $170 million to produce and roughly $120 million to market the film — an all-in outlay of nearly $300 million for a movie that is now tracking toward a substantial loss. Sources project the film will stall at a lifetime gross of around $100 million domestically and $200–210 million globally, representing a theatrical loss of $100–120 million.

*Supergirl* has accumulated just $100.5 million globally through its first two weekends, comprising $58.5 million domestically and roughly $42 million internationally. By comparison, last summer’s *Superman* hit the $100 million global milestone before its first weekend was even over.

#### What It Means for the DCU

The poor start for *Supergirl* doesn’t mean it’s over for DC Studios. Marquee characters remain wildly popular, and Sony’s *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* and Disney’s *Avengers: Doomsday* are expected to be two of the year’s highest-grossing releases. But the message from audiences is hard to ignore: lesser-known characters without the benefit of decades of mainstream cultural saturation are a genuinely risky proposition at the multiplex.

Up next for DC is October’s *Clayface*, which carries a substantially smaller $40 million budget, followed by 2027’s *Superman: Man of Tomorrow* — the latter of which represents the franchise’s real opportunity to reset the narrative. Getting back to Clark Kent sooner rather than later looks like the right call.

### The Bigger Picture: Summer 2026 Keeps Underdelivering

These two films don’t exist in isolation. *Minions & Monsters* is yet another lukewarm debut in what has turned out to be a consistently disappointing summer at the domestic box office, with the majority of the season’s tentpole blockbusters receiving a tepid to downright hostile reception in theaters.

The overall marketplace this Fourth of July weekend came in at $123 million — down 21% from the same holiday weekend last year, which delivered $155.6 million. That’s not a one-week blip; it’s a pattern. For every *Toy Story 5* that overperforms, there seem to be two or three major releases that fall well short of expectations.

The industry’s challenge is structural. Audiences have more ways than ever to watch content at home, and they’ve become increasingly selective about what earns their theater dollars. Quality matters, but so does novelty — and when franchises release new installments every two years like clockwork, the sense of occasion evaporates.

### Final Verdict

*Minions & Monsters* is, by all critical accounts, the best film this franchise has ever made. It’s also a commercially underperforming testament to a hard truth: being the best entry in a seven-film franchise might not be enough to move the needle when audiences have already moved on — or would simply rather wait for it on streaming. International markets should keep it from being labeled an outright bomb, but the domestic signal is clear. Universal and Illumination will need to seriously recalibrate their release cadence if they want the next Gru or Minions adventure to feel like an event again rather than a scheduled obligation.

For *Supergirl*, there’s less nuance available. A $170 million production that earned a mixed critical reception, cratered in its second weekend, and is now projected to lose over $100 million is a genuine misfire — and a cautionary tale for the newly rebooted DCU about the risk of leading with unfamiliar characters before the universe has had time to earn sustained audience trust. The franchise has a path forward, but it runs squarely through Superman, not through space-faring cosmic adventures with characters the casual moviegoer can’t place.

This summer, Hollywood’s biggest franchises keep slipping on their own banana peels. The audiences are out there — *Toy Story 5* proves it. They just need a reason to show up.