Despicable Me 4 is poised for a huge July 4 opening weekend at the box office and could top out near $200 million.

If so, this would be another 2024 animated box office smash hit. Inside Out 2 has been on a roll, making over $1 billion worldwide in under three weeks, and the latest from Illumination could follow suit.

Boxoffice Pro is forecasting Despicable Me 4’s domestic box office opening weekend to be between $70-$85 million over the traditional three-day period and $115-$135 million over the five-day July 4 weekend.

Its worldwide three-day range is an opening between $140-$190 million. Deadline reported similar numbers, with its domestic opening ranging between $110-$120 million over the five-day holiday weekend. Thanks to it already being open in some countries, the movie could total nearly $200 million, with another $75-$80 million coming overseas.

One thing that Boxoffice Pro noted is that the Despicable Me franchise is now six entries deep. If the fourth movie underperforms, it could signal franchise fatigue setting in. Minions: The Rise of Gru made $940 million at the box office, while its predecessor and Despicable Me 3 both topped $1 billion.

Projecting to come in behind Despicable Me 4 is Inside Out 2. The movie has enjoyed huge success at the box office and is projecting a $27-$35 million fourth weekend. After that, A Quiet Place: Day One is in its second weekend and is projected to make between $23-$33 million.

What is Despicable Me 4 about?

Despicable Me

In Despicable Me 4, Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) welcome their first child. They are enjoying life until they learn that Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) has escaped prison. He seeks revenge against Gru and comes after him after escaping.

Of course, Carrell and Wiig return from the previous movies. Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, and Dana Gaier also reprise their respective roles. Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Colbert, and Chloe Fineman headline the newcomers to the franchise.

Chris Renaud returns to direct the movie. He co-directed the first two Despicable Me movies with Pierre Coffin. The third movie was co-directed by Coffin and Kyle Balda. He now returns to direct Despicable Me 4 by himself.

Mike White (The White Lotus) and Ken Daurio (The Secret Life of Pets) co-wrote the script. Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman produced the movie.

Also returning are Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams. The duo previously composed the scores and wrote original songs for the previous entries in the franchise.

The Despicable Me franchise is a huge animated franchise with six entries. Across those six movies, they have grossed over $4.5 billion at the box office.

The franchise had humble beginnings in 2010 with the inaugural movie, which made $544 million worldwide. Its sequel made over $970 million before the next two movies — including the first Minions spin-off — crossed $1 billion.

While Minions: The Rise of Gru did not top $1 billion, it still made over $900 million. Universal and Illumination are likely hoping Despicable Me 4 gets off to a hot start during the July 4 holiday weekend. The series is used to opening around the July 4 holiday weekend and has seen great success.

Despicable Me 4 is in theaters.