Spin Offs

Animated sequels are so ... Wednesday of last week. Now the deal is to spin off side characters into their own franchises.

Next month we get smart-ass penguins. And next year? ...

... Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. After accidentally killing off so many of them—from T. Rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without a master to serve and fall into a deep depression.

But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he — alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. ...

Based on the specimen above, the actual minion spin-off will likely do well, but I have my doubts that it will accumulate a billion dollars. On the other hand, the second Despicable Me came close to that amount, and maybe the creators of the franchise know something about the movie's shelf life and international playability that I (we) don't.