Minions & Monsters Box Office Nears $100M Overseas Milestone

TL;DR — Illumination's Minions & Monsters is barreling toward a $100 million overseas milestone, proving the Despicable Me universe still has serious international pull. Meanwhile, Pixar's Toy Story 5 keeps climbing, crossing $764 million globally as the summer animation box office heats up.

The Minions & Monsters box office performance has surged past expectations internationally, nearing $100 million from overseas markets just weeks into its theatrical run. The Illumination spin-off mashes up the Minions with Universal monster archetypes, outpacing projections in the UK, Mexico, and China.

Minions & Monsters Box Office: Inside the $100M Overseas Run

When Illumination and Universal dropped Minions & Monsters in late June 2026, industry trackers pegged it for a respectable but not record-breaking debut. Instead, the film opened to $47 million domestically and has been an absolute beast overseas, pulling in an estimated $98 million from international markets as of this week. The top-performing territories include Mexico ($18.2M), the United Kingdom ($15.7M), China ($14.3M), Germany ($9.1M), and Brazil ($8.6M).

What's notable is the hold — the film dropped just 34% in its second weekend overseas, a sign that word-of-mouth is strong and repeat viewings among families are driving sustained ticket sales. Analysts now expect the film to cross the $100M overseas threshold within days and potentially reach $200M internationally by the end of its run, depending on how it holds against upcoming summer competition.

The domestic total sits at roughly $78 million, putting the worldwide tally near $176 million against a reported $85 million production budget — a solid return that makes a sequel all but inevitable.

Toy Story 5 Global Box Office Climbs Past $764 Million

Over at Disney/Pixar, Toy Story 5 continues its quiet domination. The latest installment in the beloved franchise has now reached $764 million globally, with approximately $312 million from domestic theaters and $452 million from international markets. Released in early June, the film has enjoyed an unusually long tail — holding onto top-five spots in multiple territories for over a month.

The film's emotional core — tackling Andy's transition to adulthood and the toys grappling with legacy — has resonated deeply with audiences who grew up with the franchise. Critics have praised it as a worthy continuation, and the box office numbers back that up: Toy Story 5 is now the third highest-grossing film in the franchise, trailing only Toy Story 3 ($1.067B) and Toy Story 4 ($1.073B).

Whether it has enough gas left to surpass its predecessors remains to be seen, but crossing $800 million globally feels like a lock, and $900 million isn't out of the question if summer weekdays stay strong.

How Illumination's Spin-Off Strategy Paid Off Internationally

Illumination has long understood something its competitors sometimes forget: international audiences love spectacle, slapstick, and characters that transcend language barriers. The Minions have always been that — gibberish-speaking, banana-obsessed agents of chaos who require zero subtitles to land a joke.

With Minions & Monsters, the studio doubled down. By pairing the Minions with instantly recognizable monster tropes — Dracula, Frankenstein's creature, a werewolf — Illumination created a premise that plays in every market. You don't need to speak English to understand a Minion turning into a bat and crashing into a chandelier.

The strategy mirrors what worked for Hotel Transylvania and, more recently, The Super Mario Bros. Movie — another Illumination property that leveraged universal IP recognition to gross $1.36 billion globally. Minions & Monsters may not reach those heights, but it's proving that the "recognizable characters + physical comedy" formula remains one of the surest bets in animation.

The Summer 2026 Animation Box Office Battle

This summer is shaping up to be an unusually crowded season for family animation, with Minions & Monsters, Toy Story 5, and DreamWorks' upcoming Shrek 5 all competing for screen space. Here's a snapshot of where the major players stand:

• Toy Story 5 (Disney/Pixar): $764M globally — the legacy champion, coasting on goodwill and emotional weight.
• Minions & Monsters (Illumination/Universal): ~$176M globally, climbing fast — the scrappy newcomer with international momentum.
• Shrek 5 (DreamWorks/Universal): Arrives July 18 — tracking suggests a $100M+ domestic opening, which could reset the race entirely.
• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (Sony): Set for August — the wildcard that could pull older kids and adults away from the younger-skewing fare.

The takeaway? Animation is no longer a niche — it's the backbone of the summer box office, and 2026 is the year that fact becomes undeniable.

What's Driving Overseas Audiences to Minions & Monsters

International markets have always been kind to the Despicable Me franchise — Minions (2015) grossed $823 million overseas alone — but Minions & Monsters is benefiting from a few specific tailwinds. First, the post-pandemic appetite for theatrical family entertainment has fully rebounded, with parents eager for out-of-home experiences that justify the ticket price. Second, Universal's marketing machine has been relentless, deploying localized campaigns that lean into each territory's cultural relationship with the monster genre.

In China, for instance, promotional materials emphasized the film's visual spectacle and comedic tone over narrative complexity — a playbook that worked for Minions: The Rise of Gru ($51M in China). In Latin America, where the Despicable Me franchise is practically a religion, the monster twist gave theaters an excuse to program themed events and costume screenings that drove repeat attendance.

Streaming vs. Theatrical: Why Families Are Returning to Cinemas

If 2023 and 2024 were about the "will they come back?" question, 2026 is providing a definitive answer: yes, and they're bringing their kids. The family animation sector has been the most reliable performer in the theatrical marketplace for three years running, outpacing superhero fare and live-action blockbusters in per-film averages.

Part of the calculus is simple math — a family of four watching Minions & Monsters at home on a streaming platform might cost a subscription fee and some popcorn; seeing it in a theater is a $60-80 outing. But the experiential argument is winning. Premium formats like Dolby Cinema and IMAX are drawing families who want the "event" feel, and both Illumination and Pixar have leaned into visual spectacle that justifies the upgrade.

The result: theatrical windows are stabilizing around 45-60 days before streaming debuts, and studios are seeing that a strong box office run actually boosts eventual streaming numbers rather than cannibalizing them.

What's Next for Illumination and Pixar

Neither studio is resting. Illumination has The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 slated for April 2027, with Nintendo's full cooperation — a sequel to the $1.36 billion smash. The studio is also developing an original project titled Strange World of Clancy Mills, a sci-fi comedy that marks its first non-franchise animated feature since 2016's Sing.

Pixar, meanwhile, is going back to the well that works. Incredibles 3 has been confirmed for summer 2027, with Brad Bird returning to direct. The studio is also exploring a Coco sequel and has an original film, Hoppers, on the calendar for 2028. After a rough stretch in the early 2020s that saw several films dumped directly to Disney+, Pixar has re-committed to theatrical-first releases — and Toy Story 5's $764 million haul is the strongest argument yet that the strategy is correct.

For now, all eyes stay locked on the numbers: can Minions & Monsters sustain its overseas momentum through July, and will Toy Story 5 have enough staying power to challenge the billion-dollar mark? In a summer that's already delivered surprises, neither outcome would shock anyone — and that's exactly what makes this box office race worth watching.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much has Minions & Monsters made at the box office?

As of early July 2026, Illumination's Minions & Monsters has earned approximately $176 million globally. The film has pulled in roughly $78 million from domestic theaters and is nearing the $100 million mark from international markets alone. Key overseas territories include Mexico, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, and Brazil. Against a reported production budget of $85 million, the spin-off has already turned a solid profit for Universal and Illumination.

Is Toy Story 5 the highest-grossing Toy Story movie?

Not yet. Toy Story 5 has reached $764 million globally, which places it third in the franchise behind Toy Story 3 ($1.067 billion) and Toy Story 4 ($1.073 billion). However, the film is still playing in theaters and has shown strong staying power throughout summer 2026, so it could climb higher before the end of its theatrical run. It has already surpassed Toy Story 2's $511 million total by a wide margin.

What is Minions & Monsters about?

Minions & Monsters is an Illumination spin-off that combines the Minions from the Despicable Me franchise with classic Universal monster archetypes. The film follows the yellow henchmen as they accidentally unleash a collection of movie monsters — including Dracula, Frankenstein's creature, and a werewolf — and must team up to save the day. It's a slapstick-driven family comedy that leans heavily on physical humor and visual gags, making it especially accessible to international audiences.

When did Toy Story 5 come out?

Toy Story 5 was released in theaters in early June 2026. The film is a Pixar/Disney production and continues the story of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of Andy's toys. Directed by a returning Pixar veteran, the sequel deals with Andy's transition to adulthood and how the toys navigate their sense of legacy. It has been one of the strongest-performing animated films of summer 2026 and has received praise for its emotional depth and character-driven storytelling.

Which animated movie is doing better in 2026 — Minions & Monsters or Toy Story 5?

By total global gross, Toy Story 5 is far ahead at $764 million compared to Minions & Monsters' $176 million. However, Toy Story 5 had a multi-week head start in theaters and benefits from a beloved legacy franchise spanning three decades. Minions & Monsters is gaining ground quickly — especially in overseas markets — and is performing above expectations given its spin-off status. In terms of profitability against their respective budgets, both films are solid winners for their studios and are helping drive a robust summer box office.

References

1. Box Office Mojo — Minions & Monsters 2. Variety — Toy Story 5 Box Office Update 3. Deadline — Summer 2026 Animation Box Office Analysis 4. The Hollywood Reporter — Illumination's Spin-Off Strategy