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Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
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Freshways milk-price cut deepens pressure on UK dairy farms
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India climbs green-transition ranking after first emissions decline in 25 years
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Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
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Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
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Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
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Arizona Democrats Secure Historic Trifecta with New Legislative Leadership
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Armenian FM Discusses EU Accountability for Palestinian Rights in Madrid
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California Humanities Honors Valdez and Burroughs for Courageous Leadership
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Trump and Vance Pursue Secret Diplomacy with Iran Amid Military Pressure
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Friedmann and Kühner Analyze Bundesliga's Best Shot and Frankfurt's Goalkeeper Crisis
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Honoka‘a Dragons Face Hawaii Prep in BIIF Division II Championship
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Microsoft Ends Oracle AI Computing Rental Deal Amid Cloud Strategy Shift
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Pakistan Demands Grant-Based Climate Finance at COP31 to Avoid Debt Trap
Banana!: 'Minions' knocks 'Toy Story' off N.America box office perch
The latest chapter in the lowbrow but lucrative "Minions" franchise debuted atop the North American box office this weekend, edging out another popular animation series in "Toy Story," industry estimates showed Sunday.
Universal's "Minions & Monsters" -- featuring the gibberish-spouting yellow creatures who stole the show in multiple "Despicable Me" films -- pulled in $36.4 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period, which Exhibitor Relations said was the franchise's lowest opening.
The film, a chaotic gag-filled take on early Hollywood, raked in an additional $98 million from international showings.
"Minions" displaced "Toy Story 5" from the top spot, two weeks after the Disney-Pixar offering took home the year's best opening weekend in North America, at $160 million.
The sequel -- featuring Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their gang of toys fighting for survival against competition from screen-based tech -- came in second with another $31 million.
Debuting at third spot with $20.8 million on this Independence Day weekend was the historical epic "Young Washington," about an American founding father earning his military stripes during the French and Indian War, decades before commanding the Continental Army during the American revolution.
Released by independent Angel Studios, known as a faith-based operation that eschews traditional Hollywood approaches, the film features stars Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis and Mary-Louise Parker and showcases William Franklyn-Mille as Washington.
Slipping two spots to fourth was "Supergirl," a Warner Bros sci-fi effort starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, a cousin of Superman who also possesses superhuman strength. It earned $9.6 million in its second weekend.
Holding on to fifth place is the Stephen Spielberg-directed sci-fi thriller "Disclosure Day," which earned $6 million for a current total of $105 million.
With an ensemble cast led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, the action-packed Universal film follows an effort to reveal a decades-long coverup of extraterrestrial visitations.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Obsession" ($5.3 million)
"Backrooms" ($3.3 million)
"Jackass: Best and Last" ($2.7 million)
"Scary Movie" ($1.1 million)
"The Invite" ($800,000)
F.Mueller--VB