$13.75 million gave Universal and Illumination's Minions & Monsters the top Wednesday box-office slot, with the opening-day figure coming without any preview grosses.
That start ranks as the fourth-best July Wednesday debut for an animated film, just behind Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs at $13.79 million and well below Despicable Me 4's $27.2 million.
Holiday timing could reshape the run: July 4 falls on a Saturday, a pattern that often dents moviegoing that day but lifts Friday and Sunday for family titles.
The seventh Despicable Me-Minions film entered release with an $80 million tracking forecast, exhibitor estimates of $60 million to $90 million, and a 90% Certified Fresh score—the best in the 16-year franchise.
Toy Story 5 trailed in second with $7 million to $8 million on Wednesday for about $326 million domestically in its second week, as Minions & Monsters tries to join the franchise's past July 4 five-day leaders.