Universal becomes first studio to have three billion-dollar films in a single year as Minions hits the milestone

It’s been a fantastic year for Universal Pictures at the box office; having already pulled in the record highest-grossing year for a studio, it has now become the first to have three films hit a billion dollars worldwide in a single year, with Minions hitting the milestone today.

The Despicable Me spinoff has pulled in $321.9 million domestically and $682 million around the world for a global haul of $1.004 billion and counting. It follows fellow Universal releases Jurassic World ($1.623 billion) and Furious 7 ($1.512 billion), as well as Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.401 billion).

Minions‘ box office success also means it is the third-highest grossing animated film of all time after Frozen ($1.274 billion) and Toy Story 3 ($1.063 billion).