'Minions' Sequel Pulled From Summer Release Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Universal and Illumination has officially postponed the release of Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the animated family film has been moved off of its global release which was previously set for late June in some off-shore markets and for July 3 domestically, according to Deadline.

“In response to the severity of the situation in France, we are temporarily closing our Illumination Mac Guff studio in Paris. With this decision we are abiding by the French Government’s guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families. This means we will be unable to finish Minions: The Rise Of Gru in time for our planned global releases in late June and early July,” Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri said in a statement. “While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and protection of our employees above all. We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions.”

Minions: The Rise of Gru is Universal’s third major movie to get postponed amid the pandemic. Fast & Furious installment F9 will now open in 2021, while Trolls World Tour will forgo a traditional theatrical release and debut on home entertainment on April 10, the same day it was supposed to open on the big screen.