50 Fun Facts About Minions: the Rise of Gru

In which year is Minions: The Rise of Gru set?

The soundtrack leans into the era with modern artists covering 70s funk, soul and disco hits.

How old is Gru in the film?

Steve Carell said he made his Gru voice younger and less pronounced for the role, and was paid $12.5 million.

Why are the Vicious 6 holding auditions when Gru applies?

They tried to kill their founder during the Zodiac Stone heist and need a sixth member.

Who leads the Vicious 6 after they betray their founder?

Taraji P. Henson voices the disco-themed master thief.

What does Wild Knuckles decide after coming home to find the Vicious 6 have destroyed his house?

Distraught at his friends' betrayal, he sends Gru away, only to return for the final fight.

Which Oscar-winning actor voiced Wild Knuckles in his final film role?

The Little Miss Sunshine star died in 2023; the film also credits Julie Andrews as Gru's mother.

What treasure do the Vicious 6 steal at the start of the film?

It is connected to the Chinese zodiac and can turn its holder into a giant animal.

Which Minion trades the precious stone for a pet rock?

The newcomer with braces is Gru's undoing and then his saviour, chasing the rock's new owner across the desert.

To which city does Wild Knuckles take the kidnapped Gru?

He gives the Minions 48 hours to bring him the stone or Gru dies.

Who is Master Chow?

She rescues Kevin, Stuart and Bob from Knuckles's goons and then trains them, though they leave before they finish.

Which Everything Everywhere All at Once star voices Master Chow?

It came out the year before she won her Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Where does Otto finally catch up with the biker who has the stone?

The biker, voiced by RZA, gives the stone back and rides Otto to San Francisco.

Which Wu-Tang Clan rapper voices the biker Otto befriends?

Raymond S. Persi voices Brad, the biker's nephew who traded the stone for the pet rock in the first place.

Gru saves Wild Knuckles from being eaten by what in his backyard pool?

It is the moment the two start to bond, before they rob the Bank of Evil together.

Which institution do Gru and Wild Knuckles rob as a villainy lesson?

The bank first appeared in Despicable Me, where its motto is 'formerly Lehman Brothers'.

During which event does the final showdown in Chinatown take place?

The Vicious 6 use the stone to become giant zodiac animals and tie Gru to the hands of a clock tower.

Kevin, Stuart and Bob are turned into which three animals during the finale?

All three are Chinese zodiac animals; Bob the goat is the one who really lands the punches.

What does Gru turn the defeated Vicious 6 into with the stone?

They are then arrested, while the Anti-Villain League confiscates the stone.

What twist happens at Wild Knuckles's funeral?

Gru has just given a heartfelt eulogy; the Chinese release replaced this scene with a message saying Knuckles was jailed for twenty years.

Which character does Gru hire at the end of the film, in gratitude for a helpful invention?

In this film he runs a record store; it is the last time Russell Brand voices him.

Which martial-arts action star voices the Vicious 6 member with a giant mechanical lobster claw?

The claw replaces his right arm; the character is a pun on the actor's own name.

Which Vicious 6 member is a roller-skating villain voiced by Dolph Lundgren?

Danny Trejo's Stronghold has huge metal hands, and Lucy Lawless's Nun-chuck is a nun with nunchaku.

Which Xena star voices Nun-chuck?

The character was reportedly the reason the film was rumoured to be banned in Lebanon.

Which Hollywood legend voices Gru's mother, Marlena?

She has voiced Marlena since Despicable Me in 2010.

Who voices all of the Minions?

The co-creator of the franchise later admitted in 2026 that he does not necessarily like this film.

Who directed Minions: The Rise of Gru?

He co-directed Minions and Despicable Me 3; Matthew Fogel wrote the screenplay from a story he developed with Brian Lynch.

The Rise of Gru is which numbered film in the Despicable Me franchise?

It followed Despicable Me 1-3 and the first Minions, and preceded Despicable Me 4.

Which pop producer oversaw the soundtrack of 70s covers?

Contributions included St. Vincent's 'Funkytown', Kali Uchis's 'Desafinado' and Diana Ross with Tame Impala on 'Turn Up the Sunshine'.

Which Diana Ross and Tame Impala song was the soundtrack's lead single?

It arrived on May 20, 2022, six weeks before the film.

Which Simon and Garfunkel song do the Minions perform in the film, singled out by a Boston Globe critic?

The score, by longtime Illumination composer Heitor Pereira, also had Carell and Coffin singing 'Bad Moon Rising'.

Which Beastie Boys song soundtracked the first trailer?

The second trailer used Eminem's 'Lose Yourself'; Yeat's 'Rich Minion' was commissioned for a Cole Bennett-directed trailer.

What was the film's original scheduled US release date?

COVID closed Illumination Mac Guff in Paris while the film was unfinished, and it slipped a full two years.

Where was the world premiere held in June 2022?

The Hollywood premiere followed at the TCL Chinese Theatre on June 25.

What did the Chinese theatrical release change about the ending?

The added text also said Knuckles pursued his love of acting and started a theatre troupe.

Approximately how much did the film gross worldwide?

That made it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2022 and, by Deadline's maths, a $368 million profit.

Which box-office record did the film's $123.1 million four-day debut set?

It beat Transformers: Dark of the Moon's $115.9 million from 2011.

What was the name of the TikTok trend of teenage boys attending the film in suits?

It began with a group of Australian high schoolers; some UK cinemas banned groups of young men in formal wear after they threw bananas at the screen.

Which rapper's song 'Rich Minion' accompanied the suit-wearing TikTok trend?

PostTrak found 34% of the audience was aged 13 to 17, unusually high for an animated film.

Which country's record-breaking opening was credited to the TikTok trend?

Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Venezuela all had their biggest animated openings ever.

How much did Universal spend in total marketing the film, its biggest Despicable Me campaign ever?

Partners included IHOP, McDonald's, Levi's, HelloFresh, CarMax and Liberty Mutual.

The film's 2022 meme following was compared by The Face to the ironic fandom around which other film?

The magazine argued the Minions love was genuine nostalgia while the other film's was mockery of its perceived quality.

The film is dedicated to which member of the production team?

She died during production; the film was officially completed on July 1, 2020, exactly two years before its release.

What CinemaScore did audiences give The Rise of Gru?

It matched the first Minions film; critics landed at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Who wrote the screenplay for Minions: The Rise of Gru?

The story was by Fogel and Brian Lynch, who had written the first Minions film.

Which actor voices Stronghold, the Vicious 6 member with big metal hands?

Stronghold's superhuman strength pairs with Svengeance's roller skates and Nun-chuck's weaponry in the villain lineup.

What kind of shop does Dr. Nefario run in The Rise of Gru?

It was the last time Russell Brand voiced the character.

Where did The Rise of Gru rank among the highest-grossing films of 2022?

Deadline calculated a net profit of $368 million, third on its list of the year's most valuable blockbusters.

Which two songs did Steve Carell and Pierre Coffin perform on the film's score album?

Heitor Pereira's score came out a week after the Jack Antonoff-produced soundtrack of 70s covers.

On which streaming service did The Rise of Gru arrive on September 23, 2022?

The digital release had come on August 30 and discs on September 6.

How much did The Rise of Gru earn on its first day in the US and Canada?

That included $10.8 million from Thursday previews, on the way to a record Independence Day four-day debut.