Family-oriented animation and extreme horror continued to be the secret sauce behind the midsummer box office renaissance as Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” topped the chart again in its second weekend and newcomer “Longlegs, from indie stalwart Neon, exceeded industry expectations. The supremacy of “ Despicable Me 4 ” was hardly a surprise , as the Universal and Illumination franchise added $44.7 million and pushed the film over $200 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
But the big upset came further down the charts with “ Longlegs ” more than doubling the debut of the Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum romantic comedy “ Fly Me to the Moon.” “Longlegs,” an original horror about a serial killer starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, made an estimated $22.6 million from 2,510 theaters.
That’s the best ever start for indie outfit Neon, previously known for releasing the Oscar-winning “Parasite.” Written and directed by Osgood “Oz” Perkins , the $10 million-budgeted “Longlegs” also scored the best opening for an R-rated film this year. On the opposite end of the spectrum was “Fly Me to the Moon,” an Apple Original Films production that launched with only $10 million.
It trailed holdovers “Inside Out 2,” in third with $20.8 million; and “A Quiet Place: Day One,” in fourth place with $11.8 million.
Sony distributed “Fly Me to the Moon,” the Greg Berlanti-directed film about a marketing executive brought in to sell t.
