Universal is pulling out all the stops with Illumination’s “Despicable Me 3” this weekend, releasing the film in 4,529 locations. That sets a new record for the widest opening in movie history, beating the 4,468 screens “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” was released on in 2010.
With an 77 percent Rotten Tomatoes score behind it, “Despicable Me 3” is tracking to have far and away the biggest opening for an animated movie so far this year. Universal is pegging the film for an $85 million start, while independent trackers have it making between $90-100 million.
If “Despicable Me 3” can somehow perform above those expectations, it will become the first animated movie with a $100 million-plus opening in nearly a year.