Universal's 'Brilliant' Minions Strategy Was Worth $115 Million, But Will It Last?

Universal Pictures scored another record-breaking hit over the weekend. Instead of dinosaurs (both natural and genetically modified), the studio attracted moviegoers with Twinkie-shaped creatures that speak gibberish. "The Minions are certainly popular little characters and it looks like, when the final numbers come in today, the $115 million will stand,"

Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Benzinga. "It's more about the family audience's insatiable desire for new content and particularly the outside-of-the-home entertainment that only the movie theater can provide." Dergarabedian said that "Minions," "SpongeBob 2" and "Home" show that animated family films have performed consistently well this year. "As long as people keep making kids, the studios will keep cranking out movies to accommodate them," Dergarabedian added. "A movie like this is review-proof and filled a void in the marketplace that was clearly in need of filling." Beyond that Dergarabedian said the "Despicable Me" spinoff strategy "was a brilliant one for Minions because those particular characters resonated with audiences." "By devoting an entire movie to them, Universal tapped into a very strong pent-up demand for the Twinkie-looking, gibberish-talking trouble makers," he said.

Marc Berman, editor in chief of

, made a bold prediction for "Minion's" second weekend at the box office. "It's obviously gonna drop -- you're not gonna get that kind of a number the second week," Berman told Benzinga. "But this is very, very impressive -- a really impressive thing. Chances are it's still gonna lead the box office." When asked how "Minions" could have possibly become the No. 1 animated movie, Berman provided a few theories:

If "Minions" leads the box office next weekend, it will keep "Ant-Man" from debuting at No. 1. This would be the second time that

has kept

at bay. The first occurred when "Inside Out" opened one week after "Jurassic World." Disclosure: