Illumination Chief Chris Meledandri Reflects on Minions Empire as ‘Minions & Monsters’ Premieres at Annecy

Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this month, joking to the crowd that future visitors might wonder, “Who the hell was that guy?” Yet the unflashy executive has quietly built one of Hollywood’s most reliable blockbuster machines. Since Illumination’s first release, 2010’s “Despicable Me,” the studio has generated more than $11 billion in global box office. Its latest hit, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” remains the only film to cross $1 billion in 2026.

Illumination’s next release, “Minions & Monsters,” premieres Sunday at the Annecy Film Festival in France before opening in theaters worldwide on July 1. The film marks the seventh entry in the “Despicable Me” franchise and the third standalone Minions feature. Set in the 1920s Golden Age of Hollywood, the story follows the Minions as they become filmmakers, creating a monster that turns on them. Jeff Bridges voices a studio head, while veteran director Pierre Coffin, who also voices the Minions, returns after initial reluctance.

Meledandri, who previously ran Fox’s animation division and produced the “Ice Age” films, founded Illumination with a focus on joyous, Looney Tunes-style comedy. The Paris-based studio, a division of Universal Pictures, has expanded beyond the Minions with collaborations including Nintendo for the “Mario” movies, an upcoming “Barbie” animated film with Mattel, and franchises like “Sing” and “The Secret Lives of Pets.” The studio’s global reach now extends to Japan through its Nintendo partnership.

“Minions & Monsters” opens two weeks after Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” presenting a new test of Illumination’s box office strength. Pierre Coffin, who directed the film from Paris, said Meledandri pitched the concept by describing Minions wanting to make a monster movie. “He got me at ‘Minions making movies,’” Coffin recalled. The film’s end credits humorously credit a Minion named James as director, though Coffin helmed the production himself.