"Despicable Me 2" tramples "The Lone Ranger" at theaters
Those little yellow minions have overtaken "The Lone Ranger."
Studio estimates Friday show "Despicable Me 2" is trampling the Johnny Depp Western at the July 4 holiday weekend box office. The animated Universal sequel has collected three times more than the Disney cowboy caper since both films debuted Wednesday.
"Despicable Me 2" earned $59.5 million so far, while "The Lone Ranger" took in $19.5 million in ticket sales.
Moviegoers opted for Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and the minions over Armie Hammer as the masked Lone Ranger and Depp as Tonto by more than 2 to 1 on Independence Day. The family film dominated with $24.5 million Thursday, compared with Ranger's $9.86 million.
Poor reviews for "The Lone Ranger" may have translated to sluggish ticket sales. Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper called the $250 million Western "slick trash," while Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman said it's "the sort of movie that delivers too much too late and still manages to make it feel like too little."