Steve Carell’s Despicable Me 2 has stormed the US weekend box office chart.
The animated sequel stars the voice talent of Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt and Russell Brand, and this time focuses on Carell’s character Gru helping the Anti-Villain league defeat a new criminal mastermind.
The movie debuted at number one, earning $82.5m, making it one of the highest Independence Day debuts of all time.
It fared far better than Johnny Depp’s The Lone Ranger, Disney’s highly-anticipated action western that debuted in second place with a disappointing $29.4m. The movie cost $215m to make.
Rounding out the top five are Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock’s The Heat, Monsters University and Brad Pitt’s World War Z.
Comedian Kevin Hart’s Let Me Explain premiered at eighth place, earning $10.1m, coming in above This is the End and Now You See Me.
The US weekend box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Despicable Me 2 – $82,518,000
2. (-) The Lone Ranger – $29,432,000
3. (2) The Heat – $25,000,000
4. (1) Monsters University – $19,590,000
5. (3) World War Z – $18,200,000
6. (4) White House Down – $13,500,000
7. (5) Man of Steel – $11,415,000
8. (-) Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain – $10,100,000
9. (6) This is the End – $5,800,000
10. (7) Now You See Me – $2,770,000