"Minions: The Rise of Gru" tops American box office

 Universal Pictures' animated comedy film "Minions: The Rise of Gru" led ticket sales at the American box office with an estimated three-day cume of 108.5 million US dollars on its opening weekend, showed figures from measurement firm Comscore on Sunday.

The sequel to 2015's "Minions" and the fifth entry in the Despicable Me franchise is expected to add another 20 million in North America on Monday, pushing its four-day holiday weekend total to 128 million dollars. The estimated tally will make it the highest-opening film released during the US Independence Day weekend.

Overseas, the film took in 93.7 million dollars through Sunday, bringing its global total to 202.2 million dollars.

Directed by Kyle Balda, the film features a star-studded voice cast, including Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson and Michelle Yeoh.

"Minions: The Rise of Gru" holds an approval rating of 72 percent based on 125 reviews to date on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Movie audiences gave it an "A" on CinemaScore.

"Hollywood had been looking at 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' to test the viability of animated flicks on the big screen. That's because moviegoers with young kids -- a demographic that's vital in driving overall box office revenues -- had returned only in fits and starts during the pandemic," said Variety, a top Hollywood trade publication, noting that ticket sales for the film is "a comforting sign that family crowds haven't entirely forgotten about movie theaters."