If it’s a small world after all, then money makes that world go ‘round.
Thanks in part to a strong opening weekend for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Walt Disney Studios has broken industry records to become the first studio to officially make $7 billion at the global box office in a year, Deadline reports.
Universal Pictures previously held the top spot for global box office gross, raking in $6.89 billion in 2015, but Disney’s big-budget productions with Marvel and Pixar Animation put the studio over the top. In 2016, Disney made $2.7 billion at the box office domestically and another $4.29 billion abroad from Jan. 1 to Dec. 18, handily surpassing the studio’s own 2015’s global box office gross of $5.85 billion worldwide.
“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 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.”
The biggest earners for Disney this year include the usual suspects like “Captain America: Civil War” and “Finding Dory,” bringing in $1.15 billion and $1.028 billion worldwide respectively. Rounding out the top five are “Zootopia,” “The Jungle Book” and “Doctor Strange.”
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