Universal Pictures Reaches $2 Billion at the International Box Office in Record Time
With Jurassic World's successful opening internationally on Wednesday and with early results from the film’s continual release this weekend, Universal Pictures International’s 2015 box office numbers have crossed the $2 billion marker — the fastest that any studio has reached this milestone in history.
Universal has broken the record set by 20th Century Fox back in 2010, who reached $2 billion on June 15 of that year. It marks the second time in Universal’s 103-year history that the studio has reached $2 billion at the international box office, beating its previous record set on September 17, 2013.
Duncan Clark, President of Distribution for Universal Pictures made the announcement, “Our continued success this year has been driven by the studio’s ability to build new franchises such as ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and to nurture our homegrown franchises, which include the ‘Pitch Perfect’ and ‘Fast & Furious’ series,” Clark said. “We have benefitted from strategic dating choices, allowing our tentpole films breathing room to reach their full potential at the international box office. This was truly a team effort across the globe. We are proud to share this accomplishment with not only our leadership in London and Los Angeles, but with our local teams who worked tirelessly to make this one of the most exciting years in our studio’s history.”
Jurassic World, directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, will have opened in 45 territories through today. On Wednesday, China opened No. 1 with an impressive $17.24 million (RMB 107M) to become the sixth-biggest debut for a foreign film ever in China. Fifty Shades of Grey is studio’s highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. The film has grossed $403.6 million at the international box office. The all-star cast of Furious 7 grossed more than $1.16 billion at the international box office. Among many records it achieved, Furious 7 was the fastest film ever to cross the $1 billion threshold managing the feat in only 17 days. Pitch Perfect 2 is off to a great start, too. The comedy sequel has grossed $90 million in 46 territories, with it still to open in 12 more territories in the coming weeks.
The year may get even better for Universal, who still have a string of potential box office hits on their hands: Ted 2, the follow-up to the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time is due for release soon; Despicable Me spin-off, Minions, could be a huge hit with audiences given the original movies popularity; Trainwreck, the latest film from director Judd Apatow and starring break-out star Amy Schumer; and Straight Outta Compton, the story of the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A..
