Disney’s 3D phenom “Alice in Wonderland” on Thursday will become the sixth movie to cross $1 billion in worldwide boxoffice and the first spring release to do so.
Tim Burton’s adventure fantasy, which bows on home video on June 1, has rung up more than $332 million domestically and $667 million internationally. “Alice” bowed March 5 in most global territories and has grossed an impressive $108 million in Japan since its April 17 debut in the market.
The worldwide tally for “Alice” is Disney’s second-highest to date behind “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” which plundered $1.07 billion globally after launching in July 2006.
“It’s an amazing result,” Disney vp international distribution David Kornblum said. ” ‘Alice in Wonderland’ has reinvented the culture of cinema-going in a big way.”
The industry’s previous five $1 billion pics — “Avatar,” “Titanic,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Dead Man’s Chest” and “The Dark Knight” — unspooled during the holiday or summer boxoffice seasons.
“This was a truly unique result, given the time period, and validates that the movie business is a 52-week business,” Kornblum said.
