Minions & Monsters: Can it beat Mario's $1.36B record?

Illumination's latest animated venture, Minions & Monsters, is slated for release on July 1, 2026. The film faces the ambitious goal of surpassing the studio's current highest-grossing feature, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which achieved a global box office total of $1.361 billion. This means Minions & Monsters must exceed that remarkable figure to claim the top spot in Illumination's history.

The Despicable Me franchise, including the popular Minions films, has already demonstrated significant commercial success, with a combined worldwide gross of $5.622 billion. This sets a strong precedent for the upcoming film, which is expected to follow in the footsteps of successful entries like Minions (2015) and Despicable Me 3, both of which grossed over $1 billion.

Directed by Pierre Coffin, the film is set in 1920s Hollywood and follows the Minions as they embark on creating their own monster movie. However, their endeavors lead to the unleashing of actual monsters, requiring them to unite and save the planet. The franchise's average per-film gross stands at approximately $937 million, indicating that Minions & Monsters would need a significant boost, around 45% more than the average, to achieve its target.