The Despicable Me franchise has sneaked past the Shrek series to become the top-grossing animated film series worldwide, raking in $3.528 billion globally, reported the Deadline magazine.
The most recent rollout, Despicable Me 3, made $21.2 million globally. The Shrek series, with its three sequels and the spin-off Puss in Boots (2011), earned $3.51 billion at the international box office.
Produced by Universal Pictures, the Despicable Me series comprises three films centered on Gru (Steve Carell) and the prequel Minions (2015), which explored the adventures of Gru’s pill-shaped yellow underlings.
“To wit: Minions is the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time and the most profitable movie in Universal’s history,” the Deadline report said.