‘Despicable Me‘ wasn’t such a bad guy after all, it seems, opening at the top of the box office with an estimated $60.1 million. The first 3-D animated movie from Universal Pictures stars Steve Carell as the voice of Gru, a bumbling villain with plans to steal the moon — until three adorable orphan girls enter his life. Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews are among the star-studded voice cast. Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said Sunday that “Despicable Me” far exceeded the studio’s expectations for opening weekend. “Thirty (million) would have been a win for the studio — because it’s a new creative idea, we really didn’t know what we had, so we backed in saying $30 (million),” said Rocco. “I would never have said $50 million-plus.” Rocco believes a number of factors worked in the movie’s favor, including jokes for the kids and more grown-up humor and a warmhearted story for adults. But the tiny, yellow Minions — quirky, pill-shaped creatures who spout gibberish and help Gru carry out his dastardly plans — were appealing to both, and were a huge part of the film’s marketing campaign.
1. “Despicable Me,” $60.1 million.
2. “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” $33.35 million.
3. “Predators,” $25.3 million.
4. “Toy Story 3,” $22 million.
5. “The Last Airbender,” $17.15 million.
6. “Grown Ups,” $16.4 million.
7. “Knight and Day,” $7.85 million.
8. “The Karate Kid,” $5.7 million.
9. “The A-Team,” $1.8 million.
10. “Cyrus,” $1.4 million.