‘Despicable Me 4’ stays No. 1 at box office with $44.6 million

This image release by Illumination & Universal Pictures shows Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, in a scene from “Despicable Me 4,” (Illumination & Universal Pictures via AP)

“Despicable Me 4” kept its spot atop the box office, taking in $44.6 million in its second weekend in North American theaters, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

The horror film “Longlegs” opened in second place with $22.6 million, Comscore reported.

Third place went to “Inside Out 2,” which added another $20.7 million to its phenomenal five-week total of $572.6 million domestically.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” was fourth with $11.8 million Friday through Sunday in its third weekend in theaters.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” a big-budget romantic comedy starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum as a NASA official and a marketing specialist who fall in love during the time of the Apollo 11 mission, opened in fifth place with $10 million.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” ($4.4 million), “Horizon: An American Saga” ($2.4 million), “MaXXXine” ($2 million), “Indian 2” ($1.9 million), and “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” ($1.3 million).

This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $127.5 million. The year-to-date total is $4.122 billion — down 16 percent from the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore.

“Despicable Me 4,” directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, returns the voice cast led by Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig and doubles down on more Minion mayhem.

“Longlegs,” an original horror about a serial killer starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, made an estimated $22.6 million from 2,510 theaters. That’s the best ever start for indie outfit Neon (most famous for releasing the Oscar-winning “Parasite”), which acquired the $10 million film for distribution. Written and directed by Osgood Perkins, “Longlegs” also scored the best opening for an R-rated film this year.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” an Apple Original Films production, launched with only $10 million over the weekend. It trailed holdovers “Inside Out 2,” in third with $20.8 million; and “A Quiet Place: Day One,” in fourth place with $11.8 million.

Sony distributed “Fly Me to the Moon,” the Greg Berlanti-directed film about a marketing executive brought in to sell the space race to the American public, and, later, stage a fake moon landing just in case. (With CNS report)