Illumination Drops DESPICABLE ME 4 Trailer
By Movieguide® Contributor
Universal and Illumination recently revealed what’s to come for one of their biggest franchises, releasing the first trailer for DESPICABLE ME 4.
The trailer introduces a whole cast of new characters, including Gru’s newest rival, Maxime Le Mal, voiced by Will Ferrell, and his femme fatale girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara), along with Gru’s new baby boy, Gru Jr. The movie will also introduce characters voiced by Joey King, Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman.
The sequel will continue to follow Gru’s adventures as an agent of the Anti-Villian League, of which he has been a part since the second movie.
Along with the exciting new additions to the franchise, DESPICABLE ME 4 will feature returning actors Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Diana Gaier, Madison Polan, Pierre Coffin and Steve Coogan.
Though the last DESPICABLE ME movie hit theaters in 2017, the franchise saw a new addition in 2022 with MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU, which grossed over $940 million at the global box office.
The immensely popular IP is known for its fun plotlines that the whole family can enjoy. This has led to an enduring popularity, which has only grown in the decade-plus years since the first movie’s release. A portion of Movieguide®’s review of DESPICABLE ME 3 reads:
DESPICABLE ME 3 throws everything that audiences like about Gru, Lucy, the Minions, and Gru’s three adopted little girls into the mix. As a movie with multiple plots, it’s sometimes disconnected, but the fun never stops. So, the movie carries viewers along to a very good, heartfelt ending. The slightly off-color jokes, pratfalls and scatological behavior are milder than they were in DEPSICABLE ME 2. Also, DESPICABLE ME 3 is filled with heartwarming moments. So, the filmmakers are clearly aware of what makes the movie delightful: heartfelt moments of faith and family.
DESPICABLE ME 4 will hopefully follow in its predecessors’ footsteps, focusing on an uplifting story. The likelihood of this is boosted by the return of screenplay writer Ken Daurio, who has worked on all three of the previous movies, along with director Chris Renaud, who directed the original DESPICABLE ME.
The movie is slated to hit theaters July 3, 2024.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Over July 1-3, the fifth movie in the DESPICABLE ME franchise earned $100M and set an Independence Day weekend record with $125M over four days. In contrast, the highly anticipated TOY STORY spinoff only managed $50M, resulting in one of the biggest box office flops of 2022, according to ScreenRant.
Movieguide® previously reported that family-friendly movies would need to lead the way for the box office to recover from COVID-19.
LIGHTYEAR’s failure to draw in large audiences confirms that content matters to families, and the “family-friendly” label is not good enough.
“MINIONS shattered the idea that families don’t want to go back to the theaters,” Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst, told Variety. “You just have to give them a reason to go.”
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