The Despicable Me Franchise - A Global Phenomenon
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Col
As the Despicable Me franchise gears up for the release of its fourth installment, Despicable Me 4, with promising box office projections for the opening weekend, it's an opportune moment to reflect on the series' journey. Launched by Illumination Entertainment, the franchise has evolved into a global sensation.
We at MARKUS_ , a specialized software for cinemas and restaurants, looked into the franchise's history and admissions with a focus on its popularity in Estonia.
Cinemas require real-time updates for showtimes, seat availability, movie details and reporting. MARKUS_ Cinema Software offers full automation of the back-of-house operations for theatrical film distribution. MARKUS_ has a separate system that manages film distribution back-of house operations, everything from booking agreements to reporting and invoicing. In collaboration with the Estonian Theatrical Distribution, a valued customer, the MARKUS_ Film Distribution facilitates comprehensive data integration for films distributed by Estonian Theatrical Distribution.
How cinemagoers of all age became fond of Gru and his Minions
Conceived by Spanish animator Sergio Pablos and reimagined by Illumination Entertainment's Chris Meledandri, Despicable Me debuted in 2010. The franchise includes:
Despicable Me and the Minions spin-offs have turned out to be one of the most successful animated franchises ever with combined worldwide box-office surpassing $4,6 Billion with two chapters, Minions (2015) and Despicable Me 3 (2013) brining in more than $1 Billion at the global box office.
The question therefore is not whether this is going to be big, the question is: how big?
All eyes across the world will be on the opening weekend results to see whether it will pass Illumination’s last year’s “Billion Dollar Baby” Super Mario Bros. Movie that opened to an explosive $375 Million at the box office.
How Despicable Me Has Performed with Estonian Cinema Visitors
Data gathered from cinemas across Estonia by MARKUS_, a specialized software for cinemas and restaurants, reveals significant admissions for Despicable Me films across Estonian cinemas:
Despicable Me (2010): 65 687 cinemagoers
Despicable Me 2 (2013): 97 413 cinemagoers
Minions (2015): 156 176 cinemagoers
Despicable Me 3 (2017): 148 807 cinemagoers
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022): 148 431 cinemagoers
Minions have become cultural icons, frequently referenced in media. The franchise's success has influenced the animated film genre, setting a new standard for family-friendly entertainment.
Fun Facts
Minions’ Language The Minions speak a language that was created by mixing gibberish with words from many languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Indonesian. However all English-sounding words are dubbed for every country to make them recognizable.
Box Office Records: "Despicable Me 3" is among the highest-grossing animated films ever. However in Estonia cinemagoers loved Minions more.
