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.