Trailer Report: 'Despicable Me' Becomes Most Watched of Week, 'Pacific Rim' Hits Top Ten

Matching its strong opening weekend, Universal's Despicable Me 2 was the most viewed trailer for the first week of July.

Universal's continuing animated story about a super villain (voiced by Steve Carell) who adopts three girls, the sequel to 2010's original, recorded 7.6 million views, more than doubling the No. 2 finisher, Fast & Furious 6.

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The Vin Diesel-Paul Walker car epic recorded 2.6 million views for its preview. The movie, which opened in the U.S. on May 24 and has grossed $695 million worldwide, is continuing to roll out to new foreign territories.

No. 3 finisher Man of Steel recorded 1.3 million views, half as much as the one ahead of it on the list.

The next six slots are all head by fall releases, except for World War Z in the No. 7 spot.

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Interest in Thor: The Dark World (32 million lifetime views) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (36 million lifetime) remains strong.

Pacific Rim, the monster movie from Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, which opens July 12, was the only new film to enter the list, coming it at No. 10.

The movie has been tracking softly, raising questions about its box office potential. The uptick in trailer views might indicate a stronger-than-expected opening for the movie.

Twitter: @sajilpl

Box Office Report: Little Hope for 'Lone Ranger' as 'Despicable Me 2' Soars

There will be no riding off into the sunset for The Lone Ranger, which continued to struggle on Independence Day, even as Despicable Me 2 smashed more records.

From Universal, Despicable 2 took in $24.5 million to score the second-best July Fourth gross behind box-office behemoth Transformers, which took in $29.1 million in 2007. The Lone Ranger grossed a grim $9.9 million for a two-day cume of just $19.5 million.

At this pace, Despicable 2 is headed for a five-day debut north of $130 million, and possibly north of $140 million in a major victory for Universal and animation partner Illumination Entertainment. The event pic cost a modest $76 million to produce.

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Lone Ranger -- headlined by Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer -- may only reach $55 million through Sunday, far from enough considering its hefty production budget of at least $250 million. The tentpole, directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, is almost certain to pose a major financial problem for Disney unless it does extraordinary business overseas.

With Lone Ranger, Disney had hoped to whip up the same magic that Bruckheimer, Verbinski and Depp created with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In this latest film, Depp applies his penchant for playing quirky characters to the role of Tonto (Depp says he is part Native American), while Hammer plays the Lone Ranger.

Hollywood will be be paying close attention to Lone Ranger's performance (at one point, it was almost scrapped entirely because of the budget). This past weekend, Sony's big-budget action tentpole White House Down, which cost $150 million to produce, flopped in its North American debut, grossing just $24.9 million.

Despicable 2 is easily walking away with the glory, both domestically and internationally, where it has already earned $75.8 million for an early worldwide total of $134.5 million through Thursday.

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It's also smashing a number of records. In North America, the movie also scored the second-highest Thursday gross in history behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($29.1 million). (That doesn't include films that opened on Thursday.) And on Wednesday, Universal's sequel scored the third-highest opening day for an animated feature behind Toy Story 3 and Shrek the Third (both those films opened on a Friday).

In the toon, Steve Carell returns to voice the role of Gru, master of the minions, while Kristen Wiig voices the role of Agent Lucy Wilde.

The third new entry of the July Fourth holiday frame is Summit Entertainment's stand-up comedy film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, which grossed a stellar $2.6 million on Thursday from 876 theaters for a two-day total of $7.4 million. Summit is hoping to provide counter-programming for African-American audiences as well as comedy fans. The film, from Codeblack Films and HartBeat Productions, was shot live at New York's Madison Square Garden.

'Despicable Me 2' Delivered to Mexican Cinemas Via Satellite

MEXICO CITY -- Universal's Despicable Me 2 is making history in Mexico as the first film to get wide satellite distribution.

Contenido Alternativo, Latin America’s first alternative digital distributor, delivered Despicable Me 2 to 281 Cinepolis theaters ahead of the picture’s Friday release here in Mexico. Contenido Alternativo has previously worked with Cinepolis in distributing live digital content to its theaters via satellite.

The new satellite technology is quicker and more efficient.

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“It took only a few hours to deliver the film, compared to three or four days that it usually takes to copy and distribute hard drives to all the theaters,” said Contenido Alternativo head Juan Manuel Borbolla.

Additionally, satellite movie distribution dramatically reduces costs. Cinepolis, Latin America’s leading theater chain, has gone 100 percent digital in preparation for the new cost-efficient technology.

The digital transformation has allowed exhibitors to gradually phase out pricey celluloid copies. Industry experts believe this could be the last year that film prints are distributed in U.S. theaters.

First 'Despicable Me' No. 1 on iTunes, Amazon

Steve Carell's Gru and his adorable minions aren't just taking over the box office, where Universal's Despicable Me 2 grossed $34.3 million on Wednesday.

The animated characters are also dominating digital downloads on iTunes, Amazon and Google's Play store.

The first Despicable Me movie is the No. 1 movie download on iTunes and Amazon as of Friday morning. The film is available to rent (starting at $2.99) and buy ($9.99) on both sites. The first movie is also the No. 9 rented title on Google Play ($2.99).

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Minion Madness, a 12-minute collection of mini movies about the minions is also making noise on the charts, landing at No. 14 on Google Play, No. 33 on iTunes and No. 75 on Amazon. Despite its higher placement on the Google Play chart, it costs $4.99 to buy there and $3.99 on iTunes and Amazon.

The Despicable Me game is also the top free iPhone app and No. 5 on Google Play's list of free Android apps.

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Meanwhile, preorders for the second film have already begun in earnest, with these advanced purchases putting Despicable Me 2 at No. 18 on Amazon's list of best-selling DVDs (where the first film is also No. 1) and No. 73 on iTunes' list of top movies.

iTunes features a Despicable Me 2 promotion on its main page, and Amazon has a promo on the main page for its Instant Video offerings.

Despicable Me 2': How Steve Carell Wins 'Major Points' With His Kids -- and Their Friends

He has starred in some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful contemporary comedies, but to his kids, Steve Carell’s coolest job doesn’t even show his face.

Having previously lent his voice to the animated Over the Hedge and Horton Hears a Who!, Carell earned big kudos from his kids (Annie, 12, and Johnny, 9) with 2010's Despicable Me.

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“They definitely like the animated stuff,” Carell says of his daughter and son. “When I can do the voice from Despicable Me for their friends, that wins major points: ‘Hello! Come over and have some waffles at our house!’ ” he adds, off the cuff, in a pitch-perfect Gru voice. “They just think that’s the best.”

While promoting the sequel to Despicable Me, out July 3, Carell also has some more adult-friendly fare hitting theaters.

The Way, Way Back, marking Oscar-winning screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s co-directorial debut, is a summer friendly, coming-of-age story set in a sleepy seaside town. Having debuted at Sundance earlier this year, the indie will open in select theaters across the country July 5.

Box Office Report: 'Despicable Me 2' Leaving 'Lone Ranger' in the Dust

Universal's Despicable Me 2 is already proving the box office hit everyone thought it would be, while Disney's The Lone Ranger may fail to ignite enough Fourth of July fireworks. Both films began rolling out Tuesday night, hoping to capitalize on the long holiday stretch.

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Despicable 2 grossed an estimated $30 million to $35 million on Wednesday, putting the 3D animated sequel on course for a possible five-day debut in the $120 million range, marking another major win for Universal's animation efforts. The family pic earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences, further boosting its standing.

Lone Ranger -- headlined by Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer -- may only reach half of that unless business picks up considerably.

The tentpole, receiving a B+ CinemaScore, is pacing to gross $11 million to $12 million on Wednesday for a meek five-day opening in the $50 million to $60 million range (some say it won't get much past $55 million). That's an especially troubling number considering the film's price tag, and means Lone Ranger will have to do huge business internationally, as well has have strong legs domestically.

Despicable Me 2 cost a modest $76 million to produce, while Lone Ranger cost at least $250 million. Director Gore Verbinski and Depp reunited with their Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer to bring Lone Ranger to the big screen.

With Lone Ranger, Disney is hoping to whip up the same magic that Bruckheimer, Verbinski and Depp created with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In this latest film, Depp applies his penchant for playing quirky characters to the role of Tonto (Depp says he is part Native American), while Hammer plays the Lone Ranger.

Hollywood will be be paying close attention to Lone Ranger's performance (at one point, it was almost scrapped entirely because of the budget). This past weekend, Sony's big-budget action tentpole White House Down, which cost $150 million to produce, flopped in its North America debut, grossing just $24.9 million.

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Despicable 2 is something of a sure bet, considering it's a sequel to a family hit. The toon opens three years after the first film took the box office by storm. The films are the brainchild of Chris Meledandri's Illumination Entertainment, the animation venture backed by Universal.

Overseas, Despicable 2 has already earned an outstanding $48 million from only seven territories, including six where it opened over the weekend after initially rolling out in Australia the prior weekend.

In the toon, Steve Carell returns to voice the role of Gru, master of the minions, while Kristen Wiig voices the role of Agent Lucy Wilde.

Summit Entertainment enters the holiday fray with stand-up comedy film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, which likewise rolled out Tuesday night, grossing a solid $1.1 million from only 876 theaters. Summit is hoping to provide counter-programming for African-American audiences as well as comedy fans. The film, from Codeblack Films and HartBeat Productions, was shot live at New York's Madison Square Garden.

'Despicable Me 2' Premiere: Steve Carell Gets Upstaged by Minions, Talks 'Anchorman 2'

The yellow carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Despicable Me 2 at the Universal City Walk featured several overall clad, gibberish-speaking minions that were the center of attention.

When The Hollywood Reporter was talking Steve Carell, one of Despicable’s stars, a particularly audacious minion began to enthusiastically dance behind the actor.

“They are always upstaging me,” Carell lamented on the carpet on Saturday.

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When asked if his pint-sized costars popularity bothered him, the notoriously kind-hearted Carell answered, saying, “No, because if I am going to be upstaged by someone, I am glad it’s them.” Looking back to the prancing minion, he added, “How can you deny that?”

In Universal's Despicable Me 2, Carell reprises his role as Gru, the super villain turned super dad, now on a quest for love that is prompted by his three adoptive daughters.

When asked why he agreed to do the sequel to the 2010 animated comedy, The Office alum said, "I loved the first one so much and I loved the idea that it wasn’t condescending towards kids and this one follows suit.”

This December, Carell will also be revisiting another much beloved character in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, where he will play the neurotic but well-intentioned Brick Tamland.

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“You can expect more of the same and just as much ‘Brickedness,’“ Carell told THR about what to anticipate from the sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Rob Burgundy, Will Ferrell’s wildly popular 2004 comedy.

Also making an appearance in Anchorman 2 is Carell’s Despicable Me 2 costar Kristen Wiig.

In the animated feature Wiig plays Lucy Wilde, an adorably clumsy yet alarmingly effective spy, and Gru’s love interest. Coincidentally, in Anchorman 2, Wiig also acts as a prospective romantic partner for Carell’s peculiar weatherman.

The Crazy Stupid Love star was tight-lipped when asked about Anchorman 2’s potential couple, saying, “I can just say that I love [Wiig]. I love working with her and she is one of the funniest people I have ever met.”

With the minion continuing his show-stealing jig in the background, THR asked Carell what audiences have to look forward to in Despicable Me 2.

“It’s fun. It’s has got a big heart and there are more minions than you have ever thought possible," he said.

Despicable Me 2 also stars Miranda Cosgrove, Benjamin Bratt and Moises Arias and opens in theaters July 3.