Predicting The 10 Highest Grossing Films Of 2015

3. Minions ($1.0 billion)

Despicable Me 2 was the unexpected box office hit of 2013, making almost a billion dollars worldwide. And although it ostensibly still had reformed supervillain Gru in the lead role, the real star of the show were the Minions. Tiny indestructible blobs who speaks in a high pitched babble, the sequel greatly increased their role (the plot was all about their kidnapping) and saw them become a cultural phenomenon; in merchandising terms the Minions are up there with Frozen or Cars. A spin-off that focuses on just them is, therefore, an obvious business decision - less odd Mexican stereotypes plus more marketable moments equals a big hit. Many have pegged this as a $1 billion plus flick, although there's enough question marks to make it greatly improving on its predecessor far from a certainty. Oh, it'll improve, but not by much. Animated spin-offs have a less-than-stellar track record, but thanks to the Minions brand actually eclipsing the series from which is originated, that's unlikely to be a destructive problem. The thing actively working against the film is that, unlike in 2013 where Despicable Me 2 was the animated highlight of a bland summer, this year it's got stiff competition - Pixar are back after all. This won't stop it being ginormous, but will ensure it doesn't come close to bothering the top two of the year.