Despicable Me 2, the sequel to Illumination Entertainment's well-received 2010 animated movie starring Steve Carell as an evil genius, has stormed to the top of the UK box office to record the biggest opening weekend of the year. The sequel, starring Carell and Kristen Wigg, landed the top spot with takings of £14.8 million to oust Man of Steel and Brad Pitt's World War Z.

Minions Despicable Me 2The Minions Are The Real Winners From Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 took over £12 million more than the Superman movie, and demolished the likes of This Is The End, Hummingbird and Behind the Candelabra. The animated sequel once again revolves around Carell's Gru character, now a reformed father-figure who cares for three young children in suburbia.

"I have two little kids so I don't really relate to him as a super spy, but I do relate to him as a dad for sure", Carell told Reuters of Gru, "...and the fact that he has a daughter that's getting to the age that she's interested in boys and dating, I have a daughter that is just on the verge of that age, so I think I related to that most of all."

See pictures from the Despicable Me 2 premiere.

Though Carell and Kristen Wiig provide the star power in Despicable Me 2, it's Gru's hilarious helpers - the Minions - who steal the show. The odd yellow creatures feature in just about every positive review of the new film and will star in their own spin-off movie next year, featuring the voice of Sandra Bullock as a female villain and Jon Hamm as her inventor husband.

Kristen WiigKristen Wiig Is A New Addition To The Despicable Me Cast

Despicable Me 2 opens in the U.S this weekend, with some commentators projecting a $100 million haul to easily see off Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger. Whether such a whitewash manifests itself remains to be seen, though one thing's for sure: Despicable Me 2 is emerging as the true success story for summer 2013.

Watch the Despicable Me 2 trailer: