Despicable Me 2 Leads Weekend Box Office Sales With One Of The Highest Independence Day Debuts Ever

Despicable Me 2 was the runaway winner at the US box office over the Independence Day Weekend. Living up to estimates, the Steve Carell animation notched up massive sales, making it one of the highest July Fourth debuts of all time.

Starring the vocal talents of Carell, Kristen Wiig and Russell Brand the follow-up to the 2010 movie stormed the box office, debuting at number one with a massive $82.5m.

The film tapped into the family holiday market, something it's closest rival The Lone Ranger failed to emulate. Following poor reviews the Johnny Depp vehicle could only managed a disappointing $29.4m.

With an estimated production bill of $215m, Disney could be looked at a major flop despite the A-List talents of Johnny Depp who is reunited with his Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski for the the western reboot.

Steve Carell with the other star of his box office hit in Despicable Me 2 (FayesVision/WENN.co)

Rounding out the top five films of the weekend are Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock's comedy The Heat, Pixar's own animated sequel Monsters University and Brad Pitt's World War Z.

The US weekend box office top ten in full (studio estimates, all figures in US dollars):

1. (-) Despicable Me 2 - $82,518,000

2. (-) The Lone Ranger - $29,432,000

3. (2) The Heat - $25,000,000

4. (1) Monsters University - $19,590,000

5. (3) World War Z - $18,200,000

6. (4) White House Down - $13,500,000

7. (5) Man of Steel - $11,415,000

8. (-) Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain - $10,100,000

9. (6) This is the End - $5,800,000

10. (7) Now You See Me - $2,770,000

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