Summary
TheDespicable Memovies are undoubtedly the best performing brand under Illumination Entertainment, and with the announcement ofMinions 3, it’s clear they won’t give it up, even if it means they become something they mock. SinceDespicable Mefirst released in 2010, Illumination has released six movies within that shared universe, and all of them rank in the top 10 box office earners for the studio (viaBox Office Mojo). Of course, this means that the studio will continue to release new projects within that setting, but it has left them in an awkward spot.
Recently, Steve Carell, the lead actor in the franchise who voices Gru, appeared in a mock announcement for Illumination where they revealed a slate of 50 further movies over the next 100 years, titled, the Megaverse. This is aclear jibe from the studio at Disney’s biggest franchise, theMCU, about excessively expanding a universe of movies, but there may be more truth in the announcement than the video suggests. Especially considering the announcement of an upcoming Minions 3 movie so soon afterDespicable Me 4was released (viaTHR).
Minions 3’s Announcement Makes The MCU Parody Video Less Of A Joke
The Megaverse Sounds Kind Of Great Honestly
While the video is clearly meant in a light-hearted and fun way, it likely reveals more truth than it first appears to. The video was released on June 8, just days before the announcement forMinions 3came. While announcing one more movie in the line-up does not mean that the franchise will balloon to include 50 more projects over 100 years, it does reveal thatthere is no end in sight for the Minions. Especially with the incredible marketing power of the Minions.
The tiny yellow creatures have become a global sensation, with each minion having slight variants of eyes, hair, and general shape to make them feel unique and distinct. Now, with theintroduction of the Mega Minions, there isroom for even more storytelling following these enhanced Minionson their heroic misadventures. To date, theMinionsmovies have proven to be some of the more profitable releases in the series, which means that the ideas that were jokingly announced in the video from Illumination could well be a template for future ideas.
Minions 3: Release Date, Cast & Everything We Know
The Despicable Me franchise shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, and Minions 3 is already confirmed with a release date as well.
Mega Minions & Other “Fake” Despicable Me Movies Could Be Next
The Mega Minions Are The Next Big Thing
In the fake Megaverse announcement, the next decade was marked out for theMega Minionstrilogy, followed by numerous spin-offs and new directions for the storytelling to move in. However, despite the clear parody,there is no real reason why Illumination would choose not to look into making aMega Minionsstory.Despicable Me 4is performing well at the box office (viaBox Office Mojo), and there are already plenty of toys released in association with the Mega Minions. If the toys sell, and they prove popular, it would make sense for the studio to make aMega Minionmovie.
While announcing one more movie in the line-up does not mean that the franchise will balloon to include 50 more projects over 100 years, it does reveal that there is no end in sight for the Minions.
If Illumination does eventually make the Mega Minions into solo movie stars, then the fake announcement will have lost all meaning, and the studio will be following the very trend it mocked. None of this is to suggest that that is a bad thing. The Minions have been a great original concept in a movie landscape that is full of repetitive IP expansions, reboots and sequels, but eventually, the Minions stop being new, and start being part of that same trend. And ultimately, due to the success of the franchise,Minions 3is unlikely to be the last.
Despicable Me 4
Cast
The infamous (and kind-hearted) not-super villain Gru returns in Despicable Me 4, the fourth entry in the long-running movie series from Illumination Entertainment. The fourth film also sees the return of Gru’s wife, Lucy, portrayed again by Kristin Wiig, and introduces their son.
