Universal Pictures International (UPI) today announced that Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 2 has become the highest-grossing film of 2013 at the U.K. box office.
After seven weeks in release, Despicable Me 2 has grossed £42.67 million ($66.78m), beating out Universal’s own LesMisérables (£40.85 million [$63.84m]), for the No. 1 spot in that territory. Despicable Me 2 has grossed $435.2 million internationally to date.
"When we first saw Despicable Me 2, we knew we had something quite special on our hands. The Minions are a force to be reckoned with, and their mischievous nature and good-hearted sense of humor is what makes the film such a fan favorite," said David Kosse, president of international for Universal Pictures.
"We’re delighted that U.K. audiences have continued to enjoy it as much as we do."
Directed by Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin and produced by Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, the blockbuster voice cast includes Steve Carell, Kristin Wiig Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan, Ken Jeong, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier and Moises Arias.
Despicable Me 2’s U.K. box office success comes on the heels of the studio reporting more than $1.8 billion at the international box office - making it UPI’s biggest year in history, passing the previous record set in 2012 when the studio grossed $1.794 for the year.
UPI’s international success has been propelled by hits such as Les Misérables ($293 million), Fast & Furious 6 ($547 million) and Despicable Me 2 ($435.2million) and also by the solid performance of films including Oblivion ($197.1 million) and Mama ($75.9 million).
Currently, Universal has the second and third highest-grossing films both internationally and worldwide with Fast & Furious 6 and Despicable Me 2, respectively.
Tagged in Despicable Me