The joint Despicable Me and Minions franchise shattered the box office record for animated movies with $5 billion in global ticket sales, it was announced this weekend. The newest Universal and Illumination movie Despicable Me 4 burst into the box office in a fit of red, white and Gru over the long July 4 weekend, raking in $120 million over the course of its five-day holiday debut. The six movie series, consisting of four Despicable Me movies and two Minion spinoff movies, had already ranked as the top grossing animated series of all time, prior to setting their new $5 billion record over the weekend. The animation studios were quick to tap into the smashing success of the newest installment of the series, announcing that Gru’s lovable highlighter-yellow sidekicks will get a third Minions movie on June 30, 2027. The family friendly blockbuster’s $5 billion in ticket sales snatched the crown off of Disney Pixar cartoon Inside Out 2 last week, which despite being Pixars’ highest grossing film, has only raked in $1.25 globally.
