EXCLUSIVE: Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri will today unveil the world premiere of Minions: The Rise of Gru at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The latest chapter in the $3.7B+ Despicable Me franchise was originally scheduled for release in late June of 2020 before Covid forced a delay.During his first trip to Europe since the beginning of the pandemic, Meledandri spoke with Deadline about the “determination that both Illumination and Universal had to hold this movie until audiences were back going to the cinema” and extolled the “pure joy” of the film which is his studio’s “most dynamic action movie” ever.The animation guru, who believes “in the enduring power of the cinema,” further discussed ongoing change in the industry, saying, “Ultimately we can’t use old paradigms to judge future forms of the business.”The Rise of Gru begins roll out later this month and hits North America on July 1.
Here’s our chat with Meledandri.DEADLINE: Since the release of Minions: The Rise of Gru was delayed by Covid, what are you excited about in terms of getting it out there now?CHRIS MELEDANDRI: I’d start with the determination that both Illumination and Universal had to hold this movie until audiences were back going to the cinema, which was a pretty bold move given the distribution strategy that we saw many of the other films and other studios take in the face of an impaired or closed cinema business.
So, we’ve really been looking forward to this moment and waiting very, very patiently.There is a joyous quality to this film, and perhaps more than anything else, this film is made with the idea of lifting the spirits of people who see the movie.
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