By CHRISTY LEMIRE
LOS ANGELES – “Despicable Me” wasn’t such a bad guy after all, it seems, opening at the top of the box office with an estimated $60.1 million.
The first 3-D animated movie from Universal Pictures stars Steve Carell as the voice of Gru, a bumbling villain with plans to steal the moon – until three adorable orphan girls enter his life. Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews are among the star-studded voice cast.
Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said Sunday that “Despicable Me” far exceeded the studio’s expectations for opening weekend.
“Thirty (million) would have been a win for the studio – because it’s a new creative idea, we really didn’t know what we had, so we backed in saying $30 (million),” said Rocco. “I would never have said $50 million-plus.”