Minions & Monsters Opens in North America After $10 Million Start as Illumination Maps 3 New Films
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Jul 1
Minions & Monsters Opens in North America After $10 Million Start as Illumination Maps 3 New Films
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Jul 1
Summary
$10 million in 10 overseas territories gave Minions & Monsters an early lift ahead of its North America opening, with Universal testing whether the franchise can extend Illumination’s more than $5.6 billion Minions/Despicable Me run.
Christopher Meledandri and director Pierre Coffin argued box office alone no longer defines success, saying streaming and repeat viewing make theatrical grosses an incomplete measure even as they still champion cinemas.
The new film shifts the Minions to Golden Age Hollywood, where silent-era gags and film-history references drive a story about would-be director James unleashing a real monster in Los Angeles.
No new Despicable Me or Minions sequel is set, Meledandri said, because the studio has not found a story strong enough yet.
Illumination’s next confirmed slate includes Sing 3, The Secret Lives of Pets 3 and original feature Not Alone, with Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez in the voice cast.