Minions Sequel Release Date Pushed Back to 2022

The latest installment in the popular Despicable Me franchise is getting yet another delay. On Thursday, Universal announced a couple of changes in upcoming movie release dates, including the highly-anticipated F9, which is moving from April to June. That's not a very substantial delay, but Minions: The Rise of Gru is a different story. The Minions sequel is being sent all the way to July 2022, nearly a year after its previous release date.

Minions: The Rise of Gru was initially slated to hit theaters last summer, but it was moved to 2021 like so many other 2020 projects in the wake of the pandemic. While things seem to be taking a turn for the better thanks to the world's vaccination efforts, production companies are still choosing to delay some of their films until safety at a theater is guaranteed. It appears that is the approach Universal is taking with Minions 2, which will now be released on July 1, 2022.

"In response to the severity of the situation in France, we are temporarily closing our Illumination Mac Guff studio in Paris," Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri said last March, when the Minions sequel was given its first delay. "With this decision we are abiding y the French Government's guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families. This means we will be unable to finish MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU in time for our planned global release in late June and early July. While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and protection of our employees above all. We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions."

Minions: The Rise of Gru is a sequel to the first Minions film from 2015, but still remains a prequel to the rest of the Despicable Me franchise. This film tells the story of the yellow Minions beginning their long relationship with Gru, the central character of the original Despicable Me.

The first Despicable Me grossed over $543 million at the global box office, launching both a franchise and a phenomenon in the process. The entire franchise consists of four feature films, five if you count Rise of Gru.

Are you looking forward to seeing Minions: The Rise of Gru when it finally hits theaters? Let us know in the comments!