It’s a Minion world, and we’re all just living in it. Illumination has announced that a third Minions movie will premiere in theaters on June 30, 2027. The news drops right after Despicable Me 4 saw a massive debut at the global box office over the weekend. With audiences still clearly invested in the Despicable Me franchise, the studio has no reason to stop exploring the world of Gru (Steve Carell) and his allies. The upcoming third Minions movie will mark the seventh installment of the Despicable Me franchise, as the Illumination giant continues to expand more than a decade after Gru’s first adventure.
Pierre Coffin will direct the upcoming third Minions movie. The filmmaker previously co-directed some of the Despicable Me films, as well as the first Minions spin-off. The artist is also known for voicing the friendly yellow allies ever since the first movie in the franchise premiered in theaters. The upcoming sequel will be written by Brian Lynch, who previously worked on The Secret Life of Pets and the first Minions movie. The gang’s getting back together for the next chapter of the series after Chris Renaud took over directing duties for Despicable Me 4.
After two Despicable Me movies proved that the Minions are incredibly beloved around the world, Illumination knew it was time to give the characters a chance to shine on their own. The first Minions movie earned $1.159 billion at the global box office when it was released. The reception of the spin-off quickly led to the development of a sequel titled Minions: The Rise of Gru. In the second installment Alan Arkin, Taraji P. Henson, and Michelle Yeoh joined the voice cast, with Carell pitching his voice higher than usual to play a younger version of Gru.
What’s Next for Illumination?
There’s no denying that the Despicable Me franchise has turned into Illumination‘s moneymaker. But the studio is also working on a variety of stories while they think of Gru’s next adventure. Last year, The Super Mario Bros. Movie earned over $1 billion at the global box office, with the video game adaptation quickly becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of 2023. The next installment of the Super Mario Bros. franchise is currently scheduled to hit the big screen on April 3, 2026. As Inside Out 2 continues to smash box office records while Despicable Me 4 prints money on a daily basis, it’s clear that this summer movie season has been exceptional for animation.
Minions 3 releases in theaters on June 30, 2027.
via Collider