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MINIONS: RISE OF GRU’s Record-Setting Box Office Success Bodes Well For Future Animated Features

Photo from IMDb

MINIONS: RISE OF GRU’s Record-Setting Box Office Success Bodes Well For Future Animated Features

By Movieguide® Staff

During COVID-19-related theater shutdowns, families grew accustomed to an influx of streaming content, including Disney’s TURNING RED, LUCA, SOUL, and RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, to name a few.

This formula resulted in a failure at the box office for most animated movies, as studios fear that their movie will attract families. Additionally, each of those movies contained major cautions that made families wary of watching together.

However, MINIONS: RISE OF GRU rose to the occasion and proved that audiences’ interest in animated movies is back; so long as they do not push an immoral agenda.

Illumination, the studio behind the DESPICABLE ME and MINION franchise, broke records over Independence Day weekend, earning $125 million.

MINIONS: RISE OF GRU is an impressive box office performance for all genres, as it overtook TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON for the highest-grossing movie over the fourth of July.

While projections put RISE OF GRU at $65 million for the weekend, families came in droves to experience funny, slapstick humor.

While MINIONS: RISE OF GRU does contain some minor worldview problems and animated violence, it lived up to its label as a fun, family-friendly movie.

MINIONS: RISE OF GRU’s success is made even more impressive since it went up against Pixar’s LIGHTYEAR. However, there was no competition.

Our review of MINIONS: RISE OF GRU reads:

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is an animated comedy in the DESPICABLE ME franchise. In the movie, Gru is a boy who longs to be a supervillain. Gru wants to join the Vicious 6, but they tease him because of his young age. So, he steals the Zodiac Stone from them. Furious, they chase after him, but Gru gives the stone to a minion, who loses it. Will Gru find the missing stone, or will the Vicious 6 destroy him?

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is a funny, entertaining movie. However, it has a mixed worldview. For example, it contains New Age elements, such as battling over a Zodiac Stone with special powers. Set in the 1970s, the movie talks about a guru and the STAR WARS idea of using “the force.” This content is mixed with some moral, redemptive elements stressing sacrifice and helping others, even if it puts you in danger. At his core, Gru is just someone who wants a family. The villains in MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU are scary. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for children.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Movieguide® previously reported that family-friendly movies would need to lead the way for the box office to recover from COVID-19.

LIGHTYEAR’s failure to draw in large audiences confirms that content matters to families, and the “family-friendly” label is not good enough.

“MINIONS shattered the idea that families don’t want to go back to the theaters,” Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst, told Variety. “You just have to give them a reason to go.”

In past years, Disney Pixar achieved a rare formula of art, fun, and heart that appealed to children and adults alike and blew its competition out of the water. But Disneys’ recent experiment with LIGHTYEAR, which focused on the LGBT+ agenda, failed to produce a heartfelt story.

As theaters prepare for a slate of animated, family-friendly movies like PAWS OF FURY and DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS, studios should be mindful that content still plays the largest role in audience interest.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.