The Despicable Me franchise, which began in 2010, has grown from a single animated film into a broad entertainment series centered on Gru and his Minions. The story introduced Gru as a villain planning to steal the moon, alongside an army of small yellow Minions.
Across the films, Gru’s story has developed to include marriage and fatherhood. The series also expanded through Minions-led spinoffs, including The Rise of Gru, which goes back to Gru’s youth and explores how he became the character audiences know.
The franchise currently includes seven theatrical movies, television spinoffs, digital shorts and other projects. It has also inspired parade balloons and video games, while Universal Studios Orlando features a Minion Land with its own Minion ride.
The latest installment, Minions & Monsters, is currently at No. 1 on Peacock’s movie chart. Its performance has renewed interest in the franchise, prompting a ranking of the Despicable Me and Minions films based on how audiences have responded to them.
Sources: Just Jared.