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First Posted: 7/7/2013

(AP) The minions of “Despicable Me 2” ran away with the July 4th box office, leaving the Johnny Depp Western “The Lone Ranger” in the dust.


According to studio estimates Sunday, the Universal animated sequel took in $82.5 million over the weekend and $142.1 million across the five-day holiday window. Gore Verbinski’s reimagining of the iconic lawman bombed for the Walt Disney Co., opening with just $29.4 million over the weekend, and $48.9 million since Wednesday.


The trouncing for Disney was especially painful because of the high cost of “The Lone Ranger,” which reportedly took $225 million or more to make. Made by the same team that created the lucrative Disney franchise “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the Western drew bad reviews.


Associated Press