Best Minions Movies Ranked, Including 2026’s Minions & Monsters Film

We’ve ranked all of Illumination’s solo Minions movies, not including the Despicable Me movies and the short films. The rankings are based on each installment’s Metascore on Metacritic. This comes ahead of the July 1 release of Minions & Monsters, which is also included on this list. At the moment, the first two installments of the popular prequel franchise have a combined gross of over $2 billion worldwide.

Minions movies ranked by Metacritic score

3) Minions (2015) 56%

Ranking third is 2015’s first Despicable Me prequel, Minions, which received a 56% Metascore on Metacritic. Despite being the lowest-rated installment of the franchise, it remains the highest-grossing entry in the entire Despicable Me franchise with a gross of over $1.1 billion at the box office. Following its debut, it garnered a mixed reception from critics. Some were pleased with the film’s slapstick gags and chaotic simplicity. However, others felt that the story lacked the substance to prove that beloved characters can stand out on their own without Gru.

2) Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) 56%

Taking the second spot is 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which serves as an origin story of the fan-favorite Despicable Me lead. It has a 56% Metascore on Metacritic, based on 41 critic reviews. Even though it is technically tied with Minions, the 2022 sequel is placed higher because it received far better ratings among the general audience than the first installment, with a 7.4/10 user score. Many critics considered the sequel a big upgrade thanks to the inclusion of a young Gru, which gave the story the focus it lacked from the 2015 movie. Some also loved the film’s visual animation and retro style, which highlighted its entertaining old-school physical gags.

1) Minions & Monsters (2026) 75%

Claiming the top spot is the upcoming Minions & Monsters movie, which brings the titular yellow henchmen to 1920s Hollywood. So far, it has already received a generally favorable 75% rating on Metacritic. Critics are loving the third installment’s refreshing change of pace, noting that taking the story to a specific historical era has made the new sequel distinct from previous movies. Many are also praising the film’s homage to Old Hollywood, describing it as a hilarious but endearing tribute to movie-making. The voice cast, consisting of Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, and Zoey Deutch, is also getting praise for the charm they’ve brought to the franchise’s fun new characters.

Source: Comingsoon.net