Minions: The Rise of Gru First Trailer Released

The Minions of Despicable Me have been away from the spotlight for a couple of years, last appearing on the big screen in 2017's Despicable Me 3. Well they're finally making their way back to theaters this summer with the release of Minions: The Rise of Gru, the follow-up to the $1 billion hit spinoff Minions, which was released in 2015. Fans got their first look at the new Minions movie during Sunday night's Super Bowl, with the promise that the full trailer would be making its debut on Wednesday. Well Wednesday is here, and Illumination has kept its promise, releasing the trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru.

As you can tell, this movie is going to be all about how the little yellow Minions teamed up with the infamous Gru, who was just a child when their paths first crossed. Audiences will get to see just how he rose to power and became the man we know from Despicable Me. You can watch the full trailer below!

The little yellow minions first rose to popularity 10 years ago, when the original Despicable Me movie was released in theaters, and they quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Everything from T-shirts to backpacks was plastered with minions; it was impossible to get away from them. Despicable Me went on to gross over $543 million at the worldwide box office, launching an incredibly profitable franchise in the process.

Three years later, Despicable Me 2 rode the power of the minions to even higher heights, earning a whopping $970 million across the globe in 2013. The first Minions standalone movie, which told the creatures' origin story, long before they team up with the Steve Carrell-voiced Gru, was the biggest earner of the entire franchise. Released in 2015, Minions took home $1.159 billion at the box office, number 21 on the list of the highest grossing films in history. Despicable Me 3 hit theaters in 2017 and also managed to cross the $1 billion threshold, but couldn't quite match the success of Minions.

This Minions sequel should be a hit for Universal when it arrives this summer, and the studio desperately needs it to land well. Universal is currently experiencing back-to-back bombs in Cats and Dolittle, both of which stand to lose an absurd amount of money. Fortunately both Minions and Fast & Furious have incredible track records at the box office.

What did you think of the Minions: The Rise of Gru trailer? Are you excited for the movie? Let us know in the comments!

Minions: The Rise of Gru arrives in theatres on July 3rd.