Jurassic World
Courtesy of Universal PicturesChristmas in June has taken on a whole new meaning for Universal Pictures.
Thanks to a string of box office hits — including current blockbuster Jurassic World — the studio has reached a record $3.82 billion in global box-office revenue, and the year isn’t even half over.
That bests the $3.69 billion earned globally by Universal titles in all of 2013, and is a feather in the cap for Universal Pictures’ Donna Langley and her boss, Universal Filmed Entertainment chairman Jeff Shell.
Universal has turned out a string of hits this year, led by two films that have jumped the billion-dollar mark: Furious 7 ($1.5 billion) and Jurassic World, which crossed the $1 billion mark Monday after only 13 days in release. Other top performers include Fifty Shades of Grey and Pitch Perfect 2.
“This has been a fantastic year for our studio, as we’ve had the privilege of releasing some of the most highly anticipated films of 2015,” Shell said in a statement, also giving a shout-out to NBCUniversal chairman Ron Meyer.
Added Langley: “We are fortunate to be in business with some of the most talented filmmakers in the industry today. Together with our Universal team, we’re thrilled to celebrate a slate of fantastic films that audiences have embraced all over the globe. From production to marketing and publicity, music and the front lines of distribution, it is that passion, commitment and hard work that makes an achievement like this possible.”
Universal has broken a slew of records, including being the fastest studio to ever hit $3 billion in global box-office revenue. Most recently, Jurassic World scored the top opening ever at the domestic box office, and is the fastest film to ever cross $1 billion worldwide.
And Furious 7 ranks as the fourth-highest grossing film of all time behind Avatar, Titanic and The Avengers.
Universal’s year is hardly over: Waiting in the wings is Ted 2, which debuts Friday, followed by another guaranteed summer blockbuster, Minions. That’s followed by director Judd Apatow‘s comedy Trainwreck, starring Amy Schumer and Straight Outta Compton, from F. Gary Gray.
Fall and winter releases include M. Night Shyamalan‘s The Visit, Baltasar Kormakur‘s Everest, Danny Boyle‘s Steve Jobs biopic Steve Jobs, Jon M. Chu‘s Jem and the Holograms, Angelina Jolie‘s By the Sea, starring Jolie and Brad Pitt, and Sisters, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and directed by Jason Moore.
