Despite a fumbling start to the summer box office, it eventually picked up pace, starting with Inside Out 2, which became a force to be reckoned with at the box office, putting Pixar back on track. Following in its footsteps, Deadpool & Wolverine is now trailing behind it, which is currently standing at $1.2B with its global collection.
But amidst these two box-office juggernauts, the fourth entry in Steve Carell’s Despicable Me franchise continues the dominance of Minions on the big screen, which has become the third top earner of the year.
Despicable Me 4’s Success Makes a Fifth Entry Nearly Inevitable
Although the Despicable Me franchise hasn’t been a major hit among critics, this hasn’t stopped the series from crushing the box office on a regular. With the Minions-led IP becoming the first animated franchise to cross $5B, Despicable 4 has now crossed the $900M mark, becoming the third-biggest movie of the year.
Even though the film didn’t go out of its way to bring something new to the table, which is the case with Illumination in general, for fans of Gru and his Minions, this serves as a more than welcome addition.
Moreover, with the movie once again proving Gru’s dominance over the box office, it’s safe to say a fifth movie is pretty likely, even though Illumination has yet to announce it officially.
Playing Gru Is Always a Delight for Steve Carell
With the franchise not looking to slow anytime soon, Steve Carell also has no intentions to stop voicing Gru, which has been an absolute delight for him. While the movies themselves are far from critical gems, playing the universally beloved anti-hero has been fun for the actor, who didn’t shy away from showcasing his elation before the fourth film’s release.
The Office star expressed that seeing Gru grow over the tenure of four films, as he fights through his own goodness, has been rewarding for Carell.
When we first meet him, he’s an evil, villainous criminal mastermind. But soon, we come to see that he also has an enormous heart, and a great capacity to love. He’s sort of a villain, kind of a hero. But mostly, he’s a husband and a father. I think that it’s fun to watch a character fight against the inevitability of their own goodness.
Gru has his hands full, as usual. He’s still the same guy, but the emotional stakes become increasingly higher for him. It’s always rewarding to see a character grow, and Gru is no exception.
Hopefully, with the inevitable fifth release in the franchise, Illumination will eventually break from its cookie-cutter formula and bring something new to the Minions-led universe.
Despicable Me 4 is currently running in theatres.
