The Minions movie: this, but more (Image © Universal).
I and my four-year old daughter went to the movie theater. I purchased two tickets. I payed with a debit card and the funds were immediately withdrawn from my checking account. A small percentage of the charge will be payed to the bank by the theater; a very large percentage will be paid to the studio in exchange for the privilege of exhibiting an entertainment product with a massive amount of audience “pre-awareness.” I also purchased a small-sized popcorn and a hot dog. A larger portion of this purchase will be held onto by the movie theater. Those funds will go a small way to paying the wages of the very competent and friendly staff.
A film, or to be more precise, a digital video made up of 4096 x 2160 pixels was projected in front of us for approximately 90 minutes. The high quality digital images and sound included the Minions (of whom the entire audience was pre-aware) falling down and breaking things in a humorous manner. They spoke in an endearing gibberish that contributed to a sense of delight. The narrative was set in a fictitious version of 1968. This allowed for the film to include well-known rock'n'roll songs from that era. Several of those songs were sung in that delightful Minion gibberish. The ancillary Original Motion Picture soundtrack product will most likely sell more physical units and digital downloads than normal because of this music. (2014's entertainment product “Guardians of the Galaxy” demonstrated that Original Motion Picture Soundtrack products still had a market—if the product included familiar music considered by many to be “nostalgic.”)
The audience was predisposed to like the film and the loudest laughter occurred in the first few moments as the Universal Studios logo appeared with the familiar Universal Studios theme being sung by Minions. However, many succeeding laughs had the sound of a certain politeness—the kind of laugh made when one wants to appear to be having a good time. Often, my daughter appeared to be more interested in how her seat could lift up and down depending on how she shifted her body weight. Events in the film happened sequentially and led to a conclusion (spoiler alert) involving the protagonist Minions succeeding and the antagonist facing a suitable comeuppance. A brief coda reintroduced a certain character from the preceding films that created a fulfilling sense of going full-circle.
Many people worked to make the film and were paid to do so. Many of these people live in the same city as I do and the taxes paid on the wages will help to maintain the public services and infrastructure of Los Angeles. Some of them may use the money made to make a down payment on a house. The property taxes of which will help fund much of my own public-servant salary. A small portion of my own income will continue to be spent on entertainment products. In that sense, Minions is a resounding success all around.