Minions & Monsters Rotten Tomatoes Score Sets Surprising Franchise Record

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Since Illumination started releasing feature films more than 15 years ago, the animation studio has been one of the most reliable box office draws in Hollywood, with franchises like Despicable Me, Sing, and the recent Super Mario Bros. movies under their belt. However, Illumination historically hasn’t been a true critical darling like some of their contemporaries. While the likes of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation have won Oscars for commercial smashes like Toy Story 3 and Zootopia, Illumination has never received an Academy Award. Only one of the company’s films (Despicable Me 2) has even been nominated for Best Animated Feature. So, you’d be forgiven if you thought this summer’s Minions & Monsters would only make noise at the box office.

However, the latest installment in the Despicable Me franchise is reversing Illumination’s fortunes critically. As of this writing, Minions & Monsters has a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes (with 45 reviews counted). That figure is not just the highest mark for a Despicable Me movie, it’s a new all-time high for Illumination as a studio. Check out how Minions & Monsters compares to Illumination’s previous works:

Could Minions & Monsters Win Illumination’s First Oscar?

Regardless of critical reception, Minions & Monsters was going to be one of the biggest box office hits of the summer. The Despicable Me franchise has a tremendous track record, including the earlier Minions spinoffs. The first one, which released in 2015, made $1.159 billion worldwide. 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru grossed $940.4 million globally. If anything, reviews will give Minions & Monsters‘ already high prospects a bit of an extra boost. One of the big takeaways from the early reviews is that Minions & Monsters has something for everyone; youngsters will obviously find glee in watching the Minions’ antics, while their parents will appreciate the references to Hollywood history. The film follows the Minions as they attempt to make their own monster movie.

As we wait to see how high the opening weekend numbers will be, a different conversation about Minions & Monsters can be had. Could this be the film that snaps Illumination’s 16-year Oscar drought? Lukewarm reviews are what prevented Illumination from reaching those heights in the past. Most of the studio’s best-received titles were in the low-to-mid 70s on Rotten Tomatoes, which usually isn’t high enough to capture Oscar voters’ attention. In this respect, Minions & Monsters is already a step above Illumination’s other films, securing a strong Rotten Tomatoes rating. While it isn’t as profound or poignant as some of Pixar’s classics, the fact that it’s an entertaining homage to cinematic history could help. Movies about movies can be irresistible to awards voters.

Of course, Minions & Monsters needs to maintain its high Rotten Tomatoes score to vault into contention. As illustrated by the above table, there are still several Minions & Monsters reviews to come in. If the final tally is in the same ballpark as the first Super Mario Bros. Movie, we could be looking at literally hundreds more. This means there’s a chance the Minions & Monsters score could fluctuate in one direction or the other over the coming days as other reviews are published. That said, the first wave of reviews is typically indicative of where the general consensus will land, so for now, it’s safe to say Illumination has a winner on their hands across the board.

With the calendar about to turn to July, it’s still too early to tell how this year’s Oscar race will shake out. The Best Animated Feature field should have a number of viable contenders. Pixar will surely be in the conversation with Toy Story 5 and the original Hoppers. DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island is already earning widespread acclaim months before its debut. There will certainly be other titles that stand out; a couple of years ago, indie darling Flow took the Oscar home. This is all to say, Despicable Me fans shouldn’t pencil the Minions into the race just yet, but this is certainly a step in the right direction.

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