‘Despicable Me 2’ Could Gallop Ahead of ‘The Lone Ranger’ Suggest Opening Weekend Estimates

This weekend, Gru and his minions of "Despicable Me 2" could pull the carpet from under the stars of "The Lone Ranger", according to a pre-release report in The Hollywood Reporter. The prediction is that "Despicable Me 2" could hit the $110 million mark by Sunday, while "The Lone Ranger" would be a little behind at $70 million.

"Despicable Me 2" is the sequel to the blockbuster animated hit from 2010. "The toughest challenge with any sequel is the [audience's] loss of a sense of discovery. You don't want to simply retell the story of the first film," said director Chris Renaud in an interview with The Pottstown Mercury. "So we have exciting new characters, a new location, new gadgets and we take Gru and the girls to a new phase of life. We wanted to investigate how they've changed and grown. It's all a matter of getting the right balance." Steve Carell reprises his role as the voice of Gru and the movie is being distributed by Universal Pictures.

With names like Disney, Gore Verbinski, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp associated with it, "The Lone Ranger" could find its own following. The movie features Armie Hammer in the lead role, with Depp taking on the guise of Tonto in a role that was expanded from the original series on television and radio to suit the adaptation and his star status. "I was more fascinated with exploring this relationship between Tonto and the Lone Ranger. Telling the story from Tonto's perspective is a way that allows us to reinvent the Lone Ranger," said Verbinski to Contactmusic.com.

Besides the daunting competitor that is "Despicable Me 2", "The Lone Ranger" also has its own demons to battle - namely bad reviews and inadequate social media buzz. "I just don't know who the audience for this movie will be," said Phil Contrino, BoxOffice.com editor-in-chief, in an interview with The Wrap. "With those reviews and the competition, I don't think it's going to do any business with families, and the word of mouth has been toxic. It feels a lot like the 'Wild, Wild West' to me."