Illumination Films, Ranked

Grossed over $1.36 billion worldwide, making it Illumination's highest earner and one of the highest-grossing animated films ever. It finally cracked a faithful, crowd-pleasing video game adaptation after decades of failures.

Illumination's 2010 debut launched the studio's flagship franchise and introduced the Minions. Its mix of supervillain comedy and adoptive-dad heart grossed roughly $543 million on a modest budget.

Earned about $970 million and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It deepened Gru with a romance while keeping the Minion chaos that fans came for.

The 2015 spinoff grossed over $1.15 billion, one of the highest totals for any animated film. It proved the little yellow mascots could carry a movie and cemented them as a global merchandising phenomenon.

A jukebox musical crammed with 60-plus licensed pop songs that grossed about $634 million. Its Buster Moon talent-show premise gave Illumination a genuine crowd-pleaser outside the Despicable Me universe.

The 2016 original grossed roughly $875 million on a clever what-pets-do-when-you-leave hook. Fun and fast, though critics found it borrowed heavily from Toy Story's playbook.

Illumination's 2018 take grossed about $553 million, the highest of any Dr. Seuss adaptation and, at the time, the highest-grossing Christmas film ever. Benedict Cumberbatch voices a softer Grinch that's polished but tamer than the Chuck Jones classic.

A 2023 original from a Mike White script that grossed around $301 million. A refreshing break from sequels, even if its migrating-mallard story felt slight next to the studio's tentpoles.

The 2024 installment still pulled in roughly $987 million, proving the brand is critic-proof. But the Mega Minions gimmick and thin plot showed the franchise coasting on formula.

Grossed about $937 million and sparked the viral 'Gentleminions' TikTok trend of teens in suits. Entertaining but a clear victory lap that added little the first Minions didn't already do.

Crossed $1 billion at the box office yet drew the franchise's weakest reviews to that point. The long-lost-twin-brother plot felt like the series stretching for ideas.

The 2021 sequel grossed about $408 million with a starrier soundtrack and a Bono-voiced rock legend. Bigger and busier, but it lost the underdog charm that made the first work.

The 2012 Seuss adaptation grossed roughly $348 million but was mocked for slapping the anti-consumerist Lorax onto SUVs and disposable diapers in tie-in ads. A padded plot buried the source's message.

The 2019 sequel earned about $430 million, a steep drop from the original's near-billion haul. Its three-disconnected-stories structure felt like leftover ideas stitched together.

Illumination's 2011 live-action/animation hybrid holds a rotten Rotten Tomatoes score around 26 percent. A charmless, drum-playing Easter Bunny remains the studio's clearest creative dud.