The announcement marks the third installment in the Minions series and the seventh film overall in the combined Despicable Me and Minions franchise.
Illumination’s founder and CEO, Chris Meledandri, along with Bill Ryan, executive producer of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, will be producing Minions 3. Brian Lynch will write the script, and Pierre Coffin, a veteran director of the franchise, will direct the film.
The Despicable Me and Minions franchise, created over ten years ago, has become one of the most successful animated series under Illumination’s banner. The franchise recently reached a significant milestone, amassing nearly $5 billion in global box office revenue from all its movies combined.
Despicable Me 4 has further solidified the franchise’s success. The movie made an impressive $230 million worldwide during its opening weekend. This success is a continuation of the franchise’s strong box office performance, with previous films like Minions and the Oscar-nominated Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3 each earning over $1 billion globally.
In 2022, Minions: The Rise of Gru set a new record with the highest Fourth of July opening weekend collection at the domestic box office. The continued popularity of the quirky yellow Minions has prompted the studio to keep delivering new films in the series, much to the delight of fans worldwide.
The announcement of Minions 3 underscores Illumination’s commitment to expanding this beloved animated universe. Fans can look forward to more adventures with their favorite Minions when the film hits theaters in June 2027.