Animated sequel Despicable Me 2 stole the show this weekend following a highly successful early July 4th holiday opening. Gru and his wildly popular minion crew outdid themselves with an $82 million debut, well beyond the $56 million opening for the first movie back in 2010.
Adding in the two early days of holiday showings and the sequel's $142 million total for its first five days is the highest for an animated movie, just edging out Toy Story 3's $141 million five-day gross.
While the first place winner was a major success, second place was pure tragedy. The Lone Ranger rode in on a dead horse, banking just $29 million for a distant second place. Over the five-day holiday Ranger banked just $48 million, a distressing number in comparison to the movie's hefty $215 million budget. Even with international sales rolled in, the movie has yet to break the $100 million mark, making it a likely candidate for summer's biggest dud.
Kevin Hart's comedy special Let Me Explain, a film edition of his 2012 touring show which reportedly had over $32 million in ticket sales, added to that bottom line. In less than a thousand theaters it still generated just over $10 million this weekend, for a $17 million five-day total. That's the second highest weekend total for a stand-up comedy show, right behind 2000's The Original Kings of Comedy. It's also a big step up for Hart, whose Laugh At My Pain special only earned $1 million back in 2011.
For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below:
| 1. | Despicable Me 2 * | $82,518,000 | Total: $142,076,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 3,997 |
| 2. | The Lone Ranger * | $29,432,000 | Total: $48,936,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 3,904 |
| 3. | The Heat | $25,000,000 | Total: $86,398,000 | LW: 2 WR: 2 THTRS: 3,184 |
| 4. | Monsters University | $19,590,000 | Total: $216,127,000 | LW: 1 WR: 3 THTRS: 3,739 |
| 5. | World War Z | $18,200,000 | Total: $158,758,000 | LW: 3 WR: 3 THTRS: 3,316 |
| 6. | White House Down | $13,500,000 | Total: $50,478,000 | LW: 4 WR: 2 THTRS: 3,222 |
| 7. | Man of Steel | $11,415,000 | Total: $271,206,000 | LW: 5 WR: 4 THTRS: 2,905 |
| 8. | Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain * | $10,100,000 | Total: $17,460,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 876 |
| 9. | This is the End | $5,800,000 | Total: $85,554,000 | LW: 6 WR: 4 THTRS: 2,104 |
| 10. | Now You See Me | $2,770,000 | Total: $110,415,000 | LW: 7 WR: 6 THTRS: 1,606 |
