The blockbuster success of films such as Jurassic World, Minions and Fast & Furious 7 has powered Universal Pictures to a new, all-time record for the highest annual gross taken by a single Hollywood studio, a total of $5.53bn (£3,66bn) in 2015 – and it is only August.
Universal reached the mark in just seven months, as the studios continue to celebrate a bumper year at the box office. It edges past its rival 20th Century Fox, the previous record holder, after scoring a $5.52bn global total in December 2014.
“We are in business with some of the most talented people in the industry, and the success of our slate this year is a testament to the creativity and vision of our film-makers,” Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Pictures, told the Hollywood Reporter. “With five months remaining in 2015, and 10 films still to come, we look forward to celebrating even more record-breaking milestones.”
Jurassic World, which was released in May, has so far taken $1.56bn, and is now third in the all-time list of highest grossing films. Fast & Furious 7 stands in fifth with $1.51bn, after debuting a month earlier than the dinosaur epic. Animation Minions is on $856.9m, but could still hit the $1bn mark as it has only been in cinemas for little over a month. Other big Universal hits this year include Fifty Shades of Grey ($569.7m) and Pitch Perfect 2 ($283m).
The next-best studio in 2015 is Disney, which crossed the $3bn mark globally a month ago and still has Star Wars: The Force Awakens, widely expected to be the year’s highest-grossing movie, coming to cinemas in December.
