 Now to the box office. After a historically bad first half of the year, it is suddenly booming. Despicable Me 4, the Illumination animation sequel, led the way over the holiday weekend with $75 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday and $122.6 million since opening Wednesday. The Independence Day holiday weekend haul for the Universal Pictures release further extends the considerable box office reign of the Minions, arguably the most bankable force in movies today.