Despicable Me 2 Climbs Netflix Top 10, 12 Years After Theatrical Release(Photo Credit –YouTube)
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Despicable Me 2 has significantly returned over a decade after it first hit theaters. The film, which helped push Illumination into the same league as Disney and Pixar, is now climbing Netflix’s charts. As of August 15, it holds the No. 8 spot among movies in the United States, per Flixpatrol.
Despicable Me 2 Was A Box Office Hit That Cemented Illumination’s Status
When the animated sequel premiered in 2013, it earned over $970 million worldwide, becoming Illumination’s top-grossing title. The first Despicable Me was already a solid success with $543 million, but the sequel proved the studio could compete at the highest level. Its box office total even outperformed every Walt Disney Animation Studios release since The Lion King ($771m) in 1994, though Frozen would later that same year take the crown with $1.2 billion.
Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022 and Despicable Me 4 in 2024 earned more than $940 million globally, showing the brand’s enduring appeal.
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Illumination’s Expanding Film Slate
The success of Despicable Me 2 led to the release of Despicable Me 3 in 2017 and Despicable Me 4 in 2024, alongside the Minions spinoffs in 2015 and 2022. According to CBR, a third Minions film is already in the works for 2026.
Illumination’s future lineup also features new chapters in the Sing and The Secret Life of Pets franchises, plus a sequel to 2023’s hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The follow-up, expected to be called Super Mario World, will bring in familiar and obscure characters from the games. The studio is also teaming with Mattel Studios for a new animated Barbie movie, set for a theatrical release through Universal, which will be separate from the 2023 live-action film.
Despicable Me 2 is available to stream on Netflix.
