Founded in 2007, Illumination (formerly Illumination Entertainment) became one of America’s leading and most successful animation studios. Although founded by Chris Meledandri, a deal with NBC Universal would position Illumination under Universal Pictures in 2010, with Illumination having creative control and Universal Pictures distributing the films. Since then, Illumination has produced several feature-length movies, shorts, television specials, and series.
Although Illumination has produced 32 short films, as of 2023, the Benjamin Renner-directed Migration (2023) would be the studio’s fourteenth feature film. With Migration scheduled for release on December 22, 2023, there are hopes it’ll perform successfully at the Box Office. Amongst the 13 released Illumination feature films, these are its top 10 highest-grossing movies.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) – $446 Million
The first on the list is the Chris Renaud-directed sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019). It beat out the 2011 Hop ($184 million), 2012 The Lorax ($349 million), and the 2021 Sing 2 (408 million) to become Illumination’s tenth highest-grossing movie. Written by film and comic book writer Brian Lynch, The Secret Life of Pets 2 was produced with an $80 million budget. With a worldwide Box Office earnings of $446 million, the film was profitable by all standards. However, it failed to outperform its predecessor.
The Grinch (2018) – $526.7 Million
The Grinch (2018) is one of this century’s most popular animated Christmas movies. Unsurprisingly, it makes the list of the top 10 highest grossing Illumination movies. The Grinch was co-directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. The film’s story was based on the Dr. Seuss 1957 Christmas children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The 85-minute animated film was produced on a $75 million budget. With Box Office earnings of $526.7 million, The Grinch (2018) became not only the highest-grossing adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ novels but also the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time.
Despicable Me (2010) – $543.2 Million
With the deal between Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment and NBC Universal completed, Despicable Me (2010) became Illumination’s first-ever produced feature film. As per the deal, Despicable Me was distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was co-directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin and was produced on a budget of $69 million. The movie, Despicable Me (2010), not only grossed $543.2 million at the Box Office but it became one of Illumination Studio’s highest-grossing franchises.
Sing (2016) – $634 Million
Sing (2016) may not be Illumination’s first animated musical film; however, it is its first jukebox musical comedy. The film’s screenplay was written by filmmaker and actor Garth Jennings, who was also the film’s director. The 107-minute film was released theatrically on December 21, 2016. Sing (2016) grossed $634 million at the Box Office, with a production budget of $75 million. Its success necessitated a sequel, Sing 2 (2021). However, although financially profitable, the sequel underperformed, with earnings low enough to exclude it from Illumination’s top 10 highest-grossing movies.
The Secret Life of Pets (2016) – $885.3 Million
The animated comedy The Secret Life of Pets (2016) received positive reviews and praise from critics and audiences. Chris Renaud was hired as the director and worked with a production budget of $75 million. It was Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri who approached Renaud about the project. At the time, Renaud was still working on the sequel Despicable Me 2 but was thrilled with Meledandri’s idea of what pets do when their owners or caretakers are away. The Secret Life of Pets (2016) was a phenomenal success for the studio, grossing $885.4 million at the Box Office.
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – $939.6 Million
Although a sequel to Minions (2015), the 2022 Minions: The Rise of Gru is a prequel to the 2010 Despicable Me. As the fifth film in the Despicable Me franchise, it’s no surprise Minions: The Rise of Gru rode on the franchise’s popularity to become a Box Office hit. With Kyle Balda as sole director and with a screenplay by Matthew Fogel, Minions: The Rise of Gru was produced on a budget of $80–100 million. Despite its higher budget, it still performed amazingly at the Box Office. Although grossing $939.6 million, it fell short of its predecessor’s over-a-billion-dollar theatrical run success.
Despicable Me 2 (2013) – $971 Million
Three years after the start of its feature film run, and with the success of Despicable Me (2010), Illumination released its direct sequel, Despicable Me 2, in 2013. Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin were re-hired to co-direct the project. With a slightly higher production budget of $76 million, Despicable Me 2 outperformed its predecessor with over $400 million, grossing a whopping $971 million at the Box Office.
Despicable Me 3 (2017) – $1.035 Billion
With the success of its first sequel, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio were re-hired to write the Despicable Me 3 screenplay. Although Pierre Coffin returned as director, Kyle Balda replaced Chris Renaud as co-director. The 90-minute animated comedy became the second Illumination feature film to cross the billion-dollar mark at the Box Office. Produced with a budget of $80 million, slightly higher than its predecessor, Illumination’s Despicable Me 3 grossed $1.035 billion to become the fourth highest-grossing animated movie ever.
Minions (2015) – $1.159 Billion
While a spin-off and prequel to Despicable Me (2010), Minions (2015) was well received by audiences. Although critical reviews were mixed, the cast, animation, and score received praise. Produced with a $74 million budget, Minions is one of Illumination’s highest-grossing movies. It easily grossed $1.159 at the Box Office and is currently the sixth-highest-grossing animated film of all time. Minions (2015) also became the first Illumination feature film to gross over $1 billion at the Box Office.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) – $1.362 Billion
With the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie on April 5, 2023, Illumination set a new record for its studio. Based on the Nintendo game Mario, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Matthew Fogel was hired to write the film’s screenplay. Teen Titans Go! co-developers, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic were hired to direct the animated adventure comedy. Produced on a $100 million budget, The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $1.362 billion at the Box Office. Besides being the highest-grossing film based on a video game, it is also the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is Illumination’s highest-grossing feature film, becoming the new Box Office earnings to beat.
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