Family-oriented animation and extreme horror continued to be the secret sauce behind the midsummer box office renaissance as Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” topped the chart again in its second weekend and newcomer “Longlegs, from indie stalwart Neon, exceeded industry expectations.
The supremacy of “ Despicable Me 4 ” was hardly a surprise, as the Universal and Illumination franchise added $44.7 million and pushed the film over $200 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the big upset came further down the charts with “ Longlegs ” more than doubling the debut of the Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum romantic comedy “ Fly Me to the Moon.”
“Longlegs,” an original horror about a serial killer starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, made an estimated $22.6 million from 2,510 theaters. That’s the best ever start for indie outfit Neon, previously known for releasing the Oscar-winning “Parasite.” Written and directed by Osgood “Oz” Perkins, the $10 million-budgeted “Longlegs” also scored the best opening for an R-rated film this year.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was “Fly Me to the Moon,” an Apple Original Films production that launched with only $10 million. It trailed holdovers “Inside Out 2,” in third with $20.8 million; and “A Quiet Place: Day One,” in fourth place with $11.8 million.
Sony distributed “Fly Me to the Moon,” the Greg Berlanti-directed film about a marketing executive brought in to sell the space race to the American public, and, later, stage a fake moon landing just in case. It opened in 3,356 locations this weekend, attracting an audience that was mostly over 45.
In its fifth weekend, Disney/Pixar’s megahit “Inside Out 2” fell only 32%, bringing its domestic total through Sunday to $572.6 million. It has grossed an estimated $1.35 billion worldwide.
In limited release, A24 opened “Sing Sing,” an early Oscar contender, in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles. With sellouts in both locations, it made $137,119, one of the best limited openings of the year. The film from director Greg Kwedar is about an arts program at the prison and features many real-life participants, including Clarence Maclin in his film debut. “Sing Sing” will continue playing on four screens through July and expand nationwide in August.
Finally, “Twisters,” which opens in North America on Thursday, began its international rollout this weekend, earning $11.5 million from 38 markets including in Australia, Mexico and Brazil.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.