LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Universal Pictures' animated comedy film "Minions: The Rise of Gru" led ticket sales at the North American box office with an estimated three-day cume of 108.5 million U.S. dollars on its opening weekend, showed figures from measurement firm Comscore on Sunday.
Poster of Universal Pictures' animated comedy film "Minions: The Rise of Gru"
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."