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Credit: Universal Studios (left) / Pixar Animation (right)The world of cinema has forever changed with the revival of moviegoing thanks to Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick (2022), but an online “meme” movement spurred on by teenagers is shaking up Pixar for the worst.
Related: “We Will Call the Cops,” Movie Theaters Threaten “Minions 2′ Fans After Disaster Viewings
Audiences have flooded movie theaters after Top Gun: Maverick (2022) shocked virtually every viewer, quickly becoming a $1 billion hit with an impressive 8.6/10 IMDb rating.
While Tom Cruise is being hailed as the savior of cinema, virtually every film released post-Maverick has performed exceptionally well at the box office.
Unfortunately, however, Pixar’s Lightyear (2022) has been one of 2022’s “flops” due to landmark backlash and controversies regarding a same-sex kissing scene in the Disney film, spurring online cancelation attempts and a lackluster box office performance so far.
Now, Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) has blown animation out of the water and broken new box office records:
‘Minions: #TheRiseOfGru’ is the highest box office opening over Independence Day of all time.
‘Minions: #TheRiseOfGru’ is the highest box office opening over Independence Day of all time. pic.twitter.com/7Bg5mGiCvx
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 4, 2022
While we previously reported that Minions: The Rise of Gru could potentially surpass Pixar’s Lightyear, Inside the Magic is now confirming that this Universal sequel is blowing away both fans and box offices.
The Rise of Gru has grossed an estimated $155 million over its four-day opening weekend, blowing out box office draws after surpassing $200 million worldwide by July 3 (just two days into its US opening).
With Pixar’s Lightyear having earned a reported $191 million worldwide over its 17-day run (reported on July 3 by Forbes), Minions already made $108.5 globally in just three days, burying the Toy Story (1995):
Lightyear is finished 😭
Lightyear is finished 😭
— Adrián 🇵🇦 (@swshriv) July 3, 2022
Another moviegoer writes:
Between what happened this weekend, with all the memes, no wonder why the Despicable Me franchise continues to be an unstoppable force at the box office.
Between what happened this weekend, with all the memes, no wonder why the Despicable Me franchise continues to be an unstoppable force at the box office.
— Nicolas Baron (@Nicolas68859166) July 4, 2022
In a wild turn of events, Minions‘ success is largely thanks to an online trend titled “#Gentleminions,” spurring young moviegoers (generally teenagers) to dress in their nicest attire and flood every showing of The Rise of Gru at their local theater:
This whole “dress up in full suits to watch the new Minions” trend on tiktok got me cackling like an idiot
This whole “dress up in full suits to watch the new Minions” trend on tiktok got me cackling like an idiot pic.twitter.com/NadlgL4f0K
— Black Swordsman Shakoichi (@ShakExcellence) June 30, 2022
Recent “meme” movements convinced Sony Picture to re-release the controversial Morbius (2022) Marvel movie after social media engagement reportedly led the Hollywood powerhouse to believe there was a need for more “Morbin time.”
Now, however, the internet has graced Universal Studios with one of its biggest animation hits in history. Minions: The Rise of Gru is set to potentially be the most successful animated feature of 2022, surpassing the surprisingly successful The Bad Guys (2022) and CGI smash-hit Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022).
Related: Disney Removes Another ‘Star Wars’ Show From Release Schedule
Though the world is going bananas over the Minions, Pixar’s Lightyear is still visually stunning and a fun watch for many Toy Story fans!
More about Minions: The Rise of Gru
In the heart of the 1970s, amidst a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making back-up from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto – a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please – deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons, and pull off their first missions. When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
More about Lightyear
From Disney and Pixar comes an animated sci-fi action-adventure — the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy. “Lightyear” follows the legendary space ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside ambitious recruits, Izzy (Keke Palmer), Mo (Taika Waititi) and Darby (Dale Soules), and his robot companion Sox. As this motley crew embark on their toughest mission yet, they must learn to work as a team to escape the evil Zurg (James Brolin) and his dutiful robot army who are never far behind.
Related: Scarlett Johansson Leaves Chris Evans Hanging, Leaves New Movie
Joining the previously announced Chris Evans, who lends his voice to Buzz, are Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, and Taika Waititi as a group of ambitious recruits. Peter Sohn voices Buzz’s robot companion, Sox, and the cast also includes the voices of Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. “The cast for ‘Lightyear’ is truly a dream team,” said MacLane. “Each of the performers immediately inhabited their character, which gave us the opportunity to play a bit during recording sessions. This resulted in a level of specificity that elevated the material and brought additional depth to the characters’ relationships. It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and generous cast.”’
Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who’s behind the scores for The Batman (2022) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), is on board to score Lightyear. Giacchino has a long history with Pixar; he won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and GRAMMY for the original score in Up (2009). His other Pixar credits include The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), Cars 2 (2011), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), and Incredibles 2 (2018) among others. The Lightyear Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from Walt Disney Records will be available on June 17, 2022.
Lightyear is produced by Galyn Susman (Toy Story That Time Forgot).
Is Minions: The Rise of Gru worth the hype? Comment below!