Universal and Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” leads the box office for the Independence Day weekend, with the film drawing significantly stronger performance internationally than in the United States. Reports indicate the movie opens with about $13.75 million on its first day in the U.S. and Canada (without previews) and then takes the Friday box office lead with roughly $16 million from 4,243 North American theaters. Multiple outlets also cite a domestic opening that lands near the franchise’s weakest levels in the U.S., with early weekend figures described as a low point for the Despicable Me/Minions franchise. Despite that softer domestic start, the release performs well overseas, with early territory results in Europe and Asia and a reported worldwide cumulative gross of about $62.6 million after two days in the U.S. Additional reporting puts the movie’s U.S. and Canada holiday-weekend total at roughly $61.4 million across the July 4 weekend, while other figures estimate the domestic weekend around $39.5 million through Friday-to-weekend tracking. Overall, sources converge that the film tops the U.S. holiday box office while showing franchise fatigue at home.