The summer box office has bounced back in such resounding fashion that a movie likeDespicable Me 4, which has generated a significant chunk of change in the past month, is being seen as something of a sleeper hit. While Pixar’sInside Out 2made all the headlines thanks to its record-smashing run — the movie has grossed nearly $1.6 billion worldwide so far — Universal’s animated sequel proved to be no slouch itself. Providing entertainment for a younger demographic,Despicable Me 4has quietly been chugging along at the box office. This weekend, it shot past a massive new milestone, further establishingthe Despicable Me franchiseas something of a rarity.
With $330 million domestically and $477 million from overseas markets, the film’scumulative global haul now stands at a staggering $807 million. For context,Despicable Me 4is pacing ahead ofMinions: The Rise of Gru, which concluded its run with over $930 million globally a couple of years ago. The Despicable Me franchise, which includes four movies in the main series and two spin-offs, has grossed acombined total of over $5 billion worldwide— it’s the first animated franchise in history to have achieved this feat.
Each film in the series has emerged as a major hit; two titles, in fact, have generated over $1 billion in global box office revenue. The franchise’s average global gross has now increased to a massive $909 million. The firstDespicable Memovie debuted back in 2010, and grossed around $550 million worldwide.Despicable Me 3and the firstMinionsspin-off have both generated over $1 billion globally, whileDespicable Me 2andMinions: The Rise of Gruconcluded their runs with over $900 million worldwide.
The ‘Despicable Me’ Franchise Has Grossed Nearly $5.5 Billion Worldwide
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Universal and Illumination havea third Minions movieanda fifth Despicable Me filmin the works. The films follow the misadventures of a super-villain named Gru (Steve Carell), whose life changes irrevocably when he is forced to care for a group of orphaned girls. But as popular as Gru is, the love that his cuddly yellow “minions” have received is sort of unprecedented. Some would argue that the Minions are more beloved than Gru himself (but don’t tell him that).
Directed byChris Renaudand written byMike WhiteandKen Daurio,Despicable Me 4was produced ona reported budget of $100 million. It opened to mixedreviews, and appears to have settled at a series-low 56% score on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes. You can watch the film in theaters and at home, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Despicable Me 4
Gru and his family are back, welcoming a new member, Gru Jr., who causes chaos at home. Facing a new nemesis, Maxime Le Mal, and his partner Valentina, Gru and his family go on the run.
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