'Minions' Becomes Third Animated Movie in History to Hit $1 Billion

Congratulations, "Minions"! Would you have predicted the "Despicable Me" spinoff to be one of the few animated titles to breathe the rarefied air above $1 billion at the box office? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the little yellow guys just hit that milestone, making them only the third animated movie ever to go above $1B, following "Frozen" ($1.274 billion) and "Toy Story 3" ($1.06 billion). Variety noted that, overall, "Minions" is the 23rd film to gross $1 billion worldwide.

"Minion" has earned $321.9 million domestically and $682 million internationally so far, THR noted, making it the No. 3 animated film of all time (not accounting for inflation) and the top grossing of 2015 to date. Don't count "Inside Out" from joining the list. It has earned $701 million so far, but it hasn't opened yet in many overseas markets. It made more than "Minions" domestically, so we could see a fourth go over $1 billion.

This triumph for "Minions" is also cause for celebration for Universal, which is having a tremendous 2015 so far. With "Furious 7" and "Jurassic World" also earning more than $1 billion around the world, it's the first time any studio has had three films hit that milestone in one year. It's darn pretty impressive, and here are reasons why Universal is doing so well.

Are you surprised to see "Minions" up there with "Frozen" and "Toy Story 3" or does that sound about right?

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