The filmmakers behind the “Minions” franchise have had one of their greatest fears come true: The most critically lauded film of the series has performed the worst at the box office, at least on its opening weekend.

“Minions and Monsters,” beloved for its ode to old Hollywood, earned a 91 percent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes but generated $36.4 million in sales in North America for the three-day holiday weekend and $61.4 million for the five days since its July 1 opening, according to Universal Pictures. That was a 62 percent decline from 2024, the last time a “Minions” movie was in theaters.

The PG-rated animated film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment is still No. 1 for the weekend. But its opening ticket sales came in far lower than the earlier movies in the franchise.

This is the latest of the “Despicable Me/Minions” films to be released around the July 4 holiday, with “Minions: The Rise of Gru” from 2022 hitting a high point with a $123 million in domestic ticket sales on its opening weekend.

This year, the film was contending with the holiday landing on a Saturday, which often leads to a depression in the box office as moviegoers choose fireworks and barbecues over movie theaters. Another factor may have been the World Cup, which Universal used as a significant promotional vehicle for the movie with a television spot featuring the French soccer star Kylian Mbappé facing off against the Minions villains on the soccer pitch. And then there is “Toy Story 5,” which in its third week, continues to perform well, clearly siphoning off some of the family audience with an additional $31 million. Its total gross is now $764 million worldwide.

Still, “Minions and Monsters” brought in $85 million internationally, putting its total gross at $160 million. And with a CinemaScore of an A- and a budget of $85 million, the movie is still likely to be a moneymaker for the studio.

Overall, the “Despicable Me/Minions” franchise has grossed over $5.6 billion, making it the most successful animated series in history.

Hollywood has been having its best summer at the box office since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite softer than expected numbers from “Minions” this weekend and “Supergirl” last weekend. Theaters in the United States and Canada were expected to sell about $119 million in tickets in total this weekend, according to Rentrak, which compiles box office data, down around 24 percent from the same weekend last year when Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth” dominated the market with a $92 million three-day opening. Still, according to Rentrak, the summer is on track to cross $4 billion in ticket sales.

The marketing campaign for “Minions” had 75 promotional partners, including Wendy’s, King’s Hawaiian bread and Built protein bars, which created a mystery flavor bar inspired by the film’s villain Goomi.

This is the first “Minions” movie to be solely directed by Pierre Coffin, the voice of the “Minions” and a co-director of three of the movies in the series.

The film centers on one Minion in particular, James, an artist with a passion for filmmaking. Much of the usual “Minion” mayhem still exists in the film but the movie has been lauded for its original creative voice. The New York Times called it “the best of the bunch,” describing it as “surprisingly uncynical, while allowing room for more real jokes and imagination.”

In an earlier interview, Mr. Coffin voiced his concern that the high praise might not result in strong box office performance. “I’m scared that it’s going to be the opposite, because we’re getting really good reviews,” he said. “And I’m thinking, what does that mean? Does that mean the movie is not going to be successful?”

Next weekend, Disney will unveil the live-action version of “Moana,” another family title, which could again eat into the “Minions” box office potential.

“Young Washington,” a patriotic war drama from Angel Studios that depicts the early years of George Washington, earned $20.8 million for a third-place finish this weekend, according to Rentrak.

Warner Bros.’ “Supergirl,” from its DC Studios, dropped a staggering 74 percent in its second weekend of release, earning $9.6 million for a fourth-place finish. Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” rounded out the top five with $6 million in its fourth weekend of release. Its total gross stands at $105 million.

The United States is turning 250 tomorrow. It’s a big birthday. But what exactly is America celebrating?

The revolutionary ideals enshrined in the 1776 Declaration of Independence inspired generations: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

But those ideals are now the subject of intense debate. What is the American experiment all about? What should American democracy be? These are big questions, especially during Donald Trump’s polarizing presidency. I talked to my colleague Peter Baker, our chief White House correspondent, about what this anniversary tells us about America and the moment it’s in.

America’s very messy birthday party

So Peter, can anyone actually agree on what’s being celebrated this weekend?

No, and that’s what’s so striking. It should be a moment of unity, right? I was 9 when we celebrated 200 years of independence. Everybody came together waving flags, remembering the Revolution and thinking about what it all meant. But it’s a much more polarized environment today. And we have a president who’s making this anniversary more about himself than about the country.

How so?

He’s basically taken over the organization of the festivities in Washington. Take the big Fourth of July concert. That’s been completely transformed. All these musicians backed out. They didn’t want to be part of some sort of Trump show. And so instead, the president is giving what he says will be “a really long speech.”

I’ve lived my whole life in the Washington area, and on the Fourth of July back in the day, you’d go to the National Mall, bring a picnic, stay through the concert by the National Symphony Orchestra, which would play patriotic music, and then you’d watch the fireworks.

But this year it’s essentially a political rally, and that will leave a lot of Americans feeling that they don’t want to be there. There’s going to be security. They can’t bring chairs or balls or Frisbees or coolers full of food and have a picnic on the mall the way they used to.

Picnics on the mall — what could be more American?

Exactly. You want to look back at what made America great? It was picnics on the mall!

You mentioned the musicians backing out of Trump’s concert. That’s not the only thing that has gone wrong. There’s also his multi-million-dollar project to spruce up the Reflecting Pool for the anniversary — only to get an algae infestation and peeling paint.

Yeah, the symbolism is terrible. It makes him look like he’s focused on the wrong things to a lot of Americans struggling to pay for rent or gas. And he can’t even do it right. For those who don’t like him, it’s become a metaphor for his presidency.

For any other president this would have been very damaging. But Trump has so many of these moments that it may not matter. Still, it’s a bad story and one that has frustrated him enormously.

What about the content of the celebrations? What exactly are Trump and his supporters celebrating?

They’re celebrating a view of America as they believe it once was, a better America as they see it. An America with fewer immigrants, a strong manufacturing sector, a more traditional definition of the family and so on.

It’s a view of America that doesn’t embrace some of the changes we’ve seen in the country. Those changes are discomfiting to a lot of people. And Trump has tapped into this sense of grievance that is out there among many Americans, that the country is getting away from them.

It also doesn’t acknowledge some of the times it’s fallen short of its ideals. But Trump doesn’t believe in telling stories that in any way diminish the mythology of America’s greatness.

How are his opponents celebrating this anniversary?

The people who don’t subscribe to Trump’s view of the world look at America as a place of change. We’re not the same country we were 250 years ago, nor, they argue, would most people want it to be. When we said in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal,” what we really meant was “all white men who owned a certain amount of property.” Those were the only ones who were allowed to vote then.

But the Constitution also vows to “form a more perfect union.” So there’s an acknowledgment that we’re not a perfect union, but we’re trying to get there. That ideal is what traditionally made America a beacon for the world. But now there’s a worry among people who aren’t fans of Trump that we no longer are.

Is there a chance that, all of this division notwithstanding, this weekend will actually be an occasion where people come together?

Certainly in individual communities. I’m in New England with my family right now and when you drive around, you see flags everywhere, you see a lot of excitement about the holiday that has nothing to do with politics. It’s in Washington where it just feels so divided, but I expect in communities across the country they will ignore the politics — or at least put it to the side for one day.

And Peter, how are you going to celebrate tomorrow?

We’re going to a barbecue with fried chicken, burgers and fireworks. We also have a family tradition of the kids reading from the Declaration of Independence and we will do that again this year. It’s such a beautiful document. The meaning of the words has evolved with our lived reality. But the ideal behind it is as inspiring as ever.

MORE TOP NEWS

Putin digs in

Russia blasted Kyiv with waves of ballistic missiles and drones last night, killing at least 27 people and injuring 85. The attack came just hours after President Vladimir Putin acknowledged mounting difficulties from Ukraine’s own drone attacks on Moscow and Russian oil refineries.

But analysts say it is unlikely that Russia’s battlefield difficulties will endanger Putin’s rule. And in Europe, which has seen more than 100 suspicious drone incursions over the last two years, the Russian strikes were also a warning of the continent’s vulnerability if the conflict crosses into NATO territory.

OTHER NEWS

TOP OF THE WORLD

The most clicked link in your newsletter yesterday was about the French psychologist who says parents have become too permissive.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of winning a World Cup were kept alive after Portugal defeated Croatia, 2-1. Elsewhere, Spain — one of the tournament’s favorites — dominated Austria to reach the last 16 with a 3-0 victory.

HYBRID OF THE DAY

A goalie hung upside down from the goal frame, swinging to and fro. A dancer fell to the ground in a straddle and twerked to Chic’s “Le Freak.” They were participating in a game created in 2016 for Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy, France. The premise is simple: Get the ball across the field to score a goal. But instead of running or dribbling, you have to dance.

“It refuses to land in performance or sport, in the campy, in the ridicule or in the high art,” one of the game’s creators said.

The 15-year-olds in Kyiv had practiced the waltz hundreds of times. Now it was finally time to perform. The room, sticky in the June heat, was filled with parents, teachers and friends.

The teenagers shook off their nerves and stepped out in pairs. Artur and Khrystyna. Roman and Oleksandra. Stanislav and Laura. Denys and Mariia. Then Yehor walked out alone. He lifted his right palm into the empty space before him. For the next three minutes, he needed to pretend that his date, Masha, was still there. Read more here.

Swifties prepare for a celebration

For millions of Taylor Swift mega-fans around the world, the singer’s wedding in New York today is much more than a ceremony: It’s the culmination of a story that they feel a part of. “The prophecy’s been rewritten,” one fan wrote, referring to Swift’s bad luck in love. “War is over.”

Here’s what we know about the event, including who will be there and what they’ll be wearing.

RECIPE

This is a summery twist on the classic Victoria sandwich, a British teatime treat named after Queen Victoria, who reportedly had a slice of sponge cake stacked with jam and buttercream to accompany her tea every afternoon. This cake is a bit denser, with a lemony peach tea soak.

Which city hosted this rave?

BEFORE YOU GO …

I was 17 when I moved to the U.S. Coming from small-town Germany, there were many things that baffled me. So many flags! The size of the doughnuts! The noise of the ambulances!

Everything in America was bigger, louder and more confident than what I had grown up with. It was both intimidating and awe-inspiring. And there was something else I noticed: the endless small talk.

People constantly asked me how I was doing, sometimes multiple times in one conversation. They told me I looked great, that my bag looked great. They were endlessly smiley. And they definitely overshared.

At first I found it terribly superficial. And so inefficient. Why are we still talking? I just want to buy my coffee.

But I quickly became a convert: Small talk is not just a joyful way to make a human connection. It’s also very efficient when it comes to identifying common ground with people who are different. In America, a nation of immigrants, small talk plays an essential role. (In journalism, it does, too.)

Social psychologists talk about the peach vs. coconut model. Americans are peaches — soft and chatty on the outside, with a harder private core. Northern Europeans are coconuts: We have a hard outer shell (no gratuitous smiling), but a soft core (lifelong loyalty once you’ve earned our friendship).

My song of the week is something a little different — but I thought you’d appreciate it. I went to a Lewis Capaldi concert this week in Cardiff, Wales, where he gave a soulful rendition of … “Before You Go”!

Every year for the past century, in the green hills of rural Denmark, thousands of Americans and Danes come together to celebrate the Fourth of July.

The gathering is billed as the largest Fourth of July celebration outside the United States, and partygoers decked out in the Stars and Stripes sing American songs, eat hot dogs and, because this is Denmark after all, down Danish beer and aquavit.

This year it’s going to be a little different.

Organizers are expecting the smallest crowd ever. Some locals say they are sitting it out. And the American government has been uninvited, something that has never happened before and in the past would have been unthinkable.

Nixon. Reagan. Walter Cronkite. Walt Disney. Even Dionne Warwick. Some real heavyweights have flocked in on the Fourth to this blip of a town, Rebild, surrounded by purple heather fields and pig farms. Just about every year, the American ambassador to Denmark makes an appearance.

But this year, President Trump’s threats to take over Greenland, a Danish territory, have soured the mood. His obsession with Greenland has hijacked what used to be a very tight Danish-American relationship. Many Danes now question why they should celebrate the most patriotic day in the United States, on Danish soil, with public funds no less.

And so local politicians, no doubt smelling a juicy issue, stepped in.

Lasse Olsen, a municipal council member who has agitated against the event for years, called Mr. Trump “an imperialistic mad man.”

He said that, given the way Mr. Trump had behaved toward Denmark, the presence of any officials from his administration would “disturb and distort” the festival. He led the charge this spring that gave the event’s organizers an ultimatum: Cut American officials from the program or lose logistical support and public funds (typically around $50,000).

The festival organizers agreed to remove U.S. officials from the program and said that embassy officials were sad about it but accepted it. The organizers also said that any Americans coming to the event this weekend in a private capacity were welcome.

The change stings. Organizers plan all year for a gala, a business round table and live music, culminating in an outdoor bash usually with some famous speakers. But this year, all anyone is talking about is Mr. Trump.

“It’s embarrassing,” said Bruce Bro, a retired American businessman with Danish ancestry who is a board member of the Rebild National Park Society, the organization that plans the party. He said that he supported the decision to keep American officials from participating.

“You don’t want people throwing a drink on the ambassador,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen declined to comment.

The annual pilgrimage to Rebild started in 1912. It was the vision of Max Henius, a Danish American biochemist who helped refine beer brewing. He organized the purchase of land in the hills as a place to celebrate the bonds between Denmark and the United States.

In the early days, Danes who emigrated to America (many to the Midwest, where the landscape reminded them of home) flocked back to Rebild on the Fourth to reconnect with kin. After World War II, when the United States was seen as a hero and ties to the old country were still strong, Mr. Bro said that 50,000 people would show up.

But those ties have faded. And the party in Rebild has taken a hit. Recent crowds rarely surpass the low thousands. This year, organizers say they’ll be lucky to get a thousand.

The program still includes singing the Danish and American anthems, admiring classic American cars, eating hot dogs and open-faced shrimp sandwiches and spotting people dressed as American historical figures.

Last year, Denmark’s foreign minister was the keynote speaker; this time, another minister, lesser known, is planning to come, the Foreign Ministry said.

Lasse Frimand Jensen, mayor of Aalborg, which is one of the municipalities involved in the party, said that his council had decided to take a stand against American officials only after consulting with colleagues in the central government.

The mayor wouldn’t say who, but he’s well connected in the same political party as Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister, who has irritated Mr. Trump by her steadfastness over Greenland. She’s from this same area of Denmark, too.

Over the past few days, organizers have gone through their pre-party rituals: smoothing out American state flags to decorate the party ground, setting up tables and chairs and readying a fleet of golf carts to ferry older people down the gravelly path to the spot in the rugged green valley where the festivities take place.

Organizers say their biggest struggle is to attract younger people.

Mr. Bro said that he heard a lot of people, young and old, saying they didn’t want to come this year because of all the Greenland tensions. As for his own views, he said that he was “horrified” when Mr. Trump threatened to snatch the island from Denmark and that his relatives felt the same way.

“It’s very sad,” he said. “We want to keep this tradition alive. And we blame Trump.”