Disney Crosses Record $7B in 2016 Global Ticket Sales

The holiday season is looking very merry for Disney.

With the $290.5 million worldwide opening of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story over the weekend, the studio on Monday crossed $7 billion in ticket sales at the 2016 global box office, besting the industry record set last year by Universal with $6.9 billion.

Disney commands an unprecedented portion of market share, including more than 24 percent in North America (or nearly a fourth of all tickets sold).

The company has released the four top-grossing films of 2016 so far: Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War ($1.15 billion), Pixar’s Finding Dory ($1.03 billion), Disney Animation’s Zootopia ($1.02 billion) and, from its live-action studio, The Jungle Book ($967 million).

Marvel Studio’s Doctor Strange, released in early November, has grossed a stellar $652.9 million worldwide, while Thanksgiving animated tentpole Moana continues to do strong business, earning $280.3 million to date.

“This historic achievement is possible because all of our film studios are bringing their absolute best to the table, telling great stories of all kinds that resonate with audiences across borders, gender and generations,” Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said Monday in a statement. “These films work because each one has not only something for everyone, but everything for someone. It’s our honor to be able to create these experiences for audiences, and we’re thankful to them for continuing to come out to the theater with us.”

All 12 Disney-produced domestic releases this year earned A-range CinemaScores from audiences, with seven additionally earning critics scores over 90% on RottenTomatoes.

Disney hasn’t been immune to big misses, however. Alice in Wonderland sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, which cost $170 million to make before a major marketing spend, grossed just $299.5 million globally, compared to $1.025 billion for the original in 2010.

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