Little monsters

Minions have made some people very, very rich

‘Despicable Me 3’ will have the widest domestic release in history this weekend.

Little monsters

$2.7B
The amount that the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise has grossed globally in box office sales.
Little monsters

Minions have made some people very, very rich

‘Despicable Me 3’ will have the widest domestic release in history this weekend.

This weekend, Despicable Me 3 will premiere in more U.S. theaters than any other movie in history. As Variety(http://variety.com/2017/film/news/box-office-despicable-me-3-baby-driver-the-house-1202480243/) reports, 4,529 theaters will show the film, and it could generate up to $100 million for Illumination and Universal, though the studio itself estimates opening weekend numbers of around $85 million. The movie is the fourth release in the franchise that first introduced the freaky little yellow monsters known as Minions to the world in 2010.

However many millions of dollars it rakes in this weekend, the Minions franchise is already shaping up to be one of the most lucrative in history, grossing $2.7 billion worldwide for all of the films, including the spinoff feature, Minions. The characters have also helped generate at least $70 million a year in sales of consumer products like plush toys, phone cases, and clothing.

It is unclear why so many people enjoy these movies, and these creatures, but at least the film’s success is good news for Pharrell.

Correction:This article has been updated to correctly attribute news sources.