Despicable Me 4 repeats atop the box office with $44.6M while Longlegs shocks with $22M in second place - the highest debut ever for Neon

Universal's animated sequel Despicable Me 4 had no trouble repeating atop the box office for a second straight week, though it was a closer race than expected.

The sequel dropped just 40.5% from last weekend's 4th of July debut with $122.6 million to repeat on top with $44.6 million, via Deadline.

While the Despicable Me 4 repeat wasn't a surprise, the debut of indie distributor Neon's Longlegs was, raking in an astonishing $22.6 million in second place.

The $22.6 million tally was the biggest box office debut even in the history of Neon, which was founded in 2017.

The only other new release - Columbia Pictures' Fly Me To The Moon - failed to take off properly, debuting with just $10 million.

Despicable Me added 21 theaters in its second frame, bringing its theater count up to 4,449, with a strong per-screen average of 10,035.

Longlegs, an original horror about a serial killer starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage, made an estimated $22.6 million from 2,510 theaters for a $9,003 per-screen average.

Neon acquired the film for distribution for $10 million back in February at the European Film Market. 

The film - written and directed by Osgood Perkins - also scored the best opening for an R-rated film this year.

Neon deployed an innovative marketing strategy for the film, including touches like placing cipher messages in local newspapers and posting a Los Angeles billboard with a phone number that played an "unnerving" message. 

In its first 48 hours, the number received over 250,000 calls.

The film was well-received by critics (it has an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences gave it a less enthusiastic a C+ CinemaScore.

Fly Me to the Moon launched with only $10 million over the weekend in fifth place.

It was behind Inside Out 2, in third with $20.8 million and A Quiet Place: Day One in fourth place with $11.8 million. 

The top 10 is rounded out by Bad Boys: Ride or Die ($4.4 million), Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1  ($2.4 million), MaXXXine ($2.1 million), Indian 2 ($2 million) and Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot ($1.3 million).

The Lion King was also re-released in theaters, earning $1.076 million from 1,330 theaters for a paltry $809 per-screen average.

Next weekend brings Twisters into theaters in wide release alongside Oddity, with Deadpool & Wolverine arriving July 26.