( EW.com ) -- Those little yellow minions ca n't be stopped ! `` Despicable Me 2 '' easily won the box office race on Wednesday with $ 34.3 million ( $ 4.7 million of which came from Tuesday night showings beginning at 7 p.m. ) , putting it on pace for a remarkable $ 140 million five-day debut . The $ 76 million film , produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal , will easily notch one of the best opening weekends of 2013 . And with an enthusiastic `` A- '' CinemaScore , the film is on track to quickly surpass `` The Croods '' and Monsters University to become the biggest animated hit of 2013 . Disney 's ultra-expensive western `` The Lone Ranger '' stumbled out of the gate on Wednesday , wrangling a terrible $ 9.7 million , which puts it on pace for a five-day debut in the $ 45-50 million range . The film , which stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer , cost at least $ 225 million to produce and could cause a major financial blow to the studio since westerns rarely play well outside of the United States . EW : On the scene at 'The Lone Ranger ' premiere . The weekend 's other new opener , comedy film `` Kevin Hart : Let Me Explain , '' pulverized already heightened expectations with an impressive $ 4.8 million from only 876 theaters . The film , a follow-up to Hart 's $ 7.7 million-earner Kevin Hart : Laugh at My Pain , could earn about $ 18 million in its five-day start — a fantastic result for a film that cost just $ 2.5 million to produce . Due to the July 4th holiday , there has been some delay in reporting studio grosses this morning , but check back to EW throughout the holiday weekend for more box office updates — including holdovers from last week — and have a happy Independence Day ! See the original story at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
`` Despicable Me 2 '' easily won the box office race on Wednesday . `` The Lone Ranger '' stumbled out of the gate . `` Kevin Hart : Let Me Explain , '' pulverized already heightened expectations .