JULY 10 (Reuters) — The lovable, yet accident-prone, heroes of 2010’s animated “Despicable Me,” jump into the spotlight with their first feature film set to dominate the North American weekend box office from Friday (July 10) through Sunday (July 12). “Minions,” which stars the vocal talents of Sandra Bullock, follows the devoted yellow servants as they search for a new evil villain to serve. Estimated to rake in 108 million dollars, the film hasn’t garnered terrific reviews. The Arizona Republic wrote, “Despite the dizzying pace of carefully calibrated incongruities, “Minions” somehow never generates more than the occasional chuckle.”
Also opening this weekend, horror film “The Gallows,” which tells the story of a group of high school students caught-up in the haunted reenactment of a school play. Critics have not been kind to the movie. Entertainment Weekly wrote, “This is another found-footage movie that, with a little art direction and some actual cinematography, could easily have been a decent little terrorizer. Instead, it comes mostly unglued thanks to its hacky gimmick.” It’s expected to take in 11 to 12 million dollars.
The third film to debut this weekend is “Self/Less,” which stars Ben Kingsley as a man dying from cancer who has his consciousness placed into the body of a younger man, played by Ryan Reynolds. Critics have blasted the film. The Washington Post said, “Self/less” ultimately earns its title, but it could just as easily have been called “Brain/less,” “Pulse/less” and “Point/less.” It’s expected to earn 6 million dollars on its opening weekend.
Holding over from previous weeks, “Jurassic World” is predicted to add 17 million to its global haul of 1.4 billion dollars; “Inside Out” should see an additional 15 million to its worldwide take of 374 million; and “Terminator: Genisys” is expected to add 11 to 12 million to it’s international gross of 135 million dollars.
