‘Despicable Me 4’ Leads Box Office with $88M, Franchise Hits $5B, ‘Twisters’ Debuts

“Despicable Me 4” has made a significant impact at the international box office, raking in an impressive $88 million to secure the top spot in the charts. This success adds to its global total, pushing it to $437.8 million. The “Despicable Me” series of movies has now become the first animated franchise in history to surpass the $5 billion mark.

In this latest installment, Steve Carell returns as Gru, a once-evil mastermind now reformed, who faces off against Will Ferrell’s character, Maxime Le Mal, an old schoolmate who has taken a darker path. The film is being screened in nearly 80 foreign markets, including a big debut in China where it played on 35,000 screens and in 11,000 locations, earning $11.8 million. The movie is produced by Universal and Illumination.

Meanwhile, another animated favorite, “Inside Out 2,” continues its strong performance globally. The Disney and Pixar release accumulated $50.2 million from 47 international territories over the weekend. This boosts its overall international earnings to $777.5 million, making it the fifth highest-grossing animated film ever, overtaking “Despicable Me 3.” The first “Inside Out” film has achieved a colossal global total of $1.36 billion, marking it as the only 2024 release to enter the $1 billion club so far.

Separately, Universal commenced the international rollout of “Twisters,” opening the sequel to the 1996 film “Twister” in 38 markets including Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. The film has garnered $11.5 million ahead of its domestic release next week. Following this, “Twisters” will be introduced to major European markets like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. The movie features Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos, and is directed by Lee Isaac Chung, known for “Minari.”

Lastly, Paramount’s horror prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” earned $10.4 million from 67 international markets in its third weekend. This brings the film’s international earnings to $104.5 million, with a global total reaching $220.7 million.

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