‘Despicable Me 3’ smashes US holiday weekend box office

From left, actors Kristen Wiig, Nev Scharrel and Steve Carell attend the premiere of ‘Despicable Me 3’ on June 24, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. AFP

LOS ANGELES, United States — “Despicable Me 3,” the latest installment of the animated crime caper series, smashed the North American box office through the US holiday weekend, taking in nearly $100 million, industry figures showed Wednesday.

The latest installment of the franchise that opened in theatres last Friday hauled in $99 million through the five-day weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Steve Carell stars as the voice of “despicable” bad guy-turned-protagonist Gru — and his twin brother Dru — in the Universal film.

It also features Kristen Wiig as Gru’s wife Lucy and “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker as Balthazar Bratt, a former child star and evil villain whose fashion sense is suck in the ’80s.

Debuting in second place was hotly anticipated heist thriller “Baby Driver,” with $30 million.

Ansel Elgort (“The Fault in Our Stars”) stars as a gifted getaway driver who suffers from tinnitus — ringing in his ears — and has to play music on an iPod to concentrate when he is behind the wheel.

Falling to third after its debut weekend at the top of the box office was “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the fifth installment in the blockbuster series which raked in $24 million.

The film, which is heavy on visual effects, features actors Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Anthony Hopkins, and opened to what was by far the weakest debut in the franchise’s history.

Warner Bros. superhero action film “Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot as the Amazonian goddess-princess, earned $24 million, landing in fourth place and bringing the film’s total domestic ticket sales to $354.6 million in five weeks.

Meanwhile Pixar’s “Cars 3” cruised into fifth place, with $14.2 million in its third weekend.

The animated movie features Lightning McQueen and his longtime friends fighting off a challenge from a new generation of racers, voiced by actors including Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo and Armie Hammer. CBB

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“The House” ($11.9 million)

“47 Meters Down” ($5.4 million)

“The Beguiled” ($4.4 million)

“The Mummy” ($4.4 million)

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” ($3.8 million)