Minions 3 Scheduled for July 2026 Release

Universal Pictures has announced that the studio will release Illumination’s Minions 3 in theaters on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

Fresh off the worldwide blockbuster success of Despicable Me 4, Illumination is expanding its joyful animated universe with a sensational new chapter in the biggest global animated franchise in history: Minions 3.

Written by Brian Lynch (Minions, The Secret Life of Pets films), Minions 3 will be directed by Academy Award nominee Pierre Coffin, a director of the first three Despicable Me films and the first Minions film. Coffin has also provided the voice for the Minions since their film debut in 2010.

The film will be produced by Illumination’s founder and CEO, Chris Meledandri, and by Bill Ryan (executive producer of The Super Mario Bros. Movie).

More than ten years after their creation, the Minions have become the most iconic animated characters of their generation. Globally recognized and beloved by fans of all ages, they have propelled Illumination’s Despicable Me and Minions to a global box office of almost $5 billion.

The franchise includes Minions, one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, as well as the Academy Award-nominated Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3, which each made more than $1 billion at the global box office. In 2022, Minions: The Rise of Gru shattered box office records with the highest-grossing July 4th opening weekend in U.S. history and became the #1 film internationally and worldwide.

This year’s Despicable Me 4 confirmed that the Minions continue to rule the July 4 holiday weekend, with the film opening to $230 million worldwide.

Illumination, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of event-animated films, including the record-breaking The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, and The Secret Life of Pets and Sing films.