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Friday, 2 January, 2009 4:11 PM
Universal Pictures Surpasses
Its All-Time Best-Ever Domestic, International and Worldwide Box-Office
Performance in 2008
Studio Beats 2007
Record With $2.834 Billion Worldwide
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
Universal Studios globe is located outside the main entrance to
its theme park.
UNIVERSAL
CITY, Calif. -- Universal Pictures recorded its biggest
year ever for the second year in a row with global theatrical grosses
totaling $2.834 billion for 2008. Universal's domestic box-office
tally of $1.12 billion outpaced the record it previously set in
2007, which was $1.099 billion. Internationally, Universal shattered
last year's box-office mark of $1.034 billion, with a 2008 total
of $1.714 billion, for an incredible year-over-year improvement
of 66 percent. Celebrating the studio breaking its own records for
the second year in a row, the announcement was made today by Marc
Shmuger and David Linde, Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively,
of Universal Pictures. All numbers are estimates, and final figures
will be available on Monday, January 5, 2009.
"If
2007 was a turnaround year for Universal, 2008 proved our studio's
ability to consistently deliver the highest quality commercial hits,"
stated Shmuger and Linde. "To have two successive years of
record-breaking success is an incredible achievement, and we thank
our teams from around the world that produced, marketed and distributed
a slate of films that, again, set a new standard for our studio.
This year, we created new franchises, extended others, released
the most successful movie musical in history and continued our tradition
of turning modestly budgeted comedies into solid hits. Our strength
of success comes from this diversity. We worked with some of the
most interesting and inspiring filmmakers and talent working anywhere
and released some of the years most critically acclaimed and rewarded
films. We are proud to close out another year with historic success."
Details
of Success
The studio
released four films this year that grossed more than $100 million
domestically: "The Incredible Hulk", "Wanted",
"Mamma Mia!" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor".
In addition, the studio released three comedies -- "Forgetting
Sarah Marshall", "Baby Mama" and "Role Models"
-- which turned into solidly profitable hits by grossing more than
$60 million apiece, while being produced with modest budgets.
At the international
box office, Universal Pictures International (UPI), in its second
year of operation as a wholly owned distribution entity, tallied
$1.714 billion, beating its former 1999 record (when it was part
of joint venture UIP) of $1.16 billion by nearly 50 percent. UPI
reached the $1 billion threshold on August 13, earlier than ever
before in Universal's history. The record-breaking $428.5 million
foreign success of "Mamma Mia!" led the juggernaut, and
UPI also had two other films gross more than $200 million with "The
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" and "Wanted",
and one more to break $100 million with "The Incredible Hulk".
"Mamma
Mia!" was the studio's biggest earner of the year, both domestically
($144 million) and internationally ($428.5 million). Opening on
July 18, it set the record for biggest domestic opening ever for
a musical and reached $100 million faster than any other tuner in
history. But the success story of the year is how "Mamma Mia!"
turned into an unprecedented global phenomenon. The film is now
the biggest film ever in the history of the United Kingdom, a record
held previously by "Titanic". Since its release in early
July, "Mamma Mia!" has broken records of the biggest opening
of a musical in history in territory after territory and is now
the highest grossing film of 2008 in the U.K., Austria, Greece,
Hungary, Norway and Sweden.
"The
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" is the highest-grossing
entry of Universal's three-film "Mummy" franchise at the
international box office. With $294.3 million, it easily bests the
previous foreign $260.5 million record of 1999's "The Mummy".
The film opened at No. 1 in 38 territories and was Universal's biggest
opening ever in Russia, Spain, Ukraine, Korea, Latin America and
Thailand, among others. Stateside, the film was released on August
1, opening to $40 million on its way to $102 million.
An all-new
action franchise was born with "Wanted", released on June
17 to a $51 million domestic first weekend and ultimate domestic
take of $144 million. The film delivered the biggest opening ever
for its star Angelina Jolie and the biggest R-rated opening ever
for the month of June. Universal took a cult graphic novel and paired
it with Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian director and inventive visual
stylist who made an unforgettable English- language debut with "Wanted",
and placed James McAvoy at the center of this action-adventure.
"Wanted" also was an international hit, totaling $209.5
million in foreign grosses.
Universal
released Marvel Entertainment's "The Incredible Hulk"
on June 13 to a rousing $55 million opening domestic weekend, and
the film went on to gross more than $135 million in North America.
Having released a previous film based on the Marvel Super Hero just
five years before, Universal reintroduced the character and, by
emphasizing the action and heroism of this franchise, outperformed
that 2003 release and invigorated the franchise with the potential
for future installments. "The Incredible Hulk" crossed
the $100 million mark at the international box office as well.
Also of
note was the breakout success of "The Strangers", one
of the first Rogue Pictures films to be marketed and distributed
by Universal Pictures. Released on May 30, this small horror film
starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman became one of the surprise
hits of the summer, accumulating more than $52 million in its North
American release.
On the comedy
front, Universal continued its prosperous and long-time relationship
with Judd Apatow with "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", produced
by Apatow and Shauna Robertson, directed by Nicholas Stoller and
led by a cast that turned into some of the year's biggest breakout
stars. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was released on April
18 and went on to gross $63 million domestically. "Baby Mama"
followed the next week, pairing two of the year's most formidable
comedy talents and pop-culture stories, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
"Baby Mama" was released on April 25 and went on to make
$60 million domestically. Later in the fall, Universal released
Stuber Films' "Role Models", starring Paul Rudd and Seann
William Scott under the direction of David Wain, and turned in a
fall comedy sleeper hit that has made more than $66 million to date.
In addition
to these commercial successes, Universal also released some of the
year's most critically acclaimed motion pictures. Guillermo del
Toro dazzled audiences and critics alike with the detail and depth
of his imagination in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". And
Clint Eastwood debuted his drama "Changeling" at the Cannes
Film Festival to rave responses. The film was included among the
best of the year by the Critics' Choice Awards and the National
Board of Review, and Angelina Jolie earned nominations for Best
Actress from the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards and the Critics'
Choice Awards.
Imagine
Entertainment and Working Title Films' "Frost/Nixon" is
among the most heralded films of the year. Directed by Ron Howard
and written by Peter Morgan -- who adapted his own award-winning
play -- "Frost/Nixon" is one of only two films to be recognized
as one of the best of the year by the four leading awards groups:
the Golden Globe Awards, the Critics' Choice Awards, the National
Board of Review and the American Film Institute. Included on many
critics' year-end Top 10 lists, including those from Rolling Stone's
Peter Travers, the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan, The Associated
Press and many others, "Frost/Nixon" also earned five
Golden Globe Award nominations: Best Picture (Drama), Best Director,
Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Score.
Focus Features
retained its position as one of the industry's most consistently
successful specialized film companies, both in terms of quality
and commercial success. Focus began 2008 with the noteworthy achievement
of having Working Title's "Atonement" honored with seven
Academy Award(R) nominations, including Best Picture.
In September,
Focus enjoyed the biggest opening in its history with the $19.2
million opening weekend domestic take of Working Title's "Burn
After Reading", written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen,
which went on to gross more than $60 million domestically (making
it the highest grossing film from a specialty company this year).
"Burn After Reading" also earned a Golden Globe Award
nomination for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), a Critics' Choice
Award nomination for Best Comedy and inclusion among the National
Board of Review's Best Films of the Year.
"Milk"
has become one of the most honored and acclaimed films of 2008.
Directed by Gus Van Sant from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance
Black, "Milk" has earned accolades including being named
Best Picture of the Year by the esteemed New York Film Critics Circle.
Already a winner of Best Actor honors from nearly a dozen critics'
groups, star Sean Penn has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award,
a SAG Award and a Critics' Choice Award, and the film's entire ensemble
was nominated as one of the best of the year by SAG.
Last but
not least, writer/director Martin McDonagh's "In Bruges",
which world premiered as the opening-night film of the Sundance
Film Festival, also has been cited by many critics as being among
the best and most original films of the year and earned a Best Picture
and two Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) nominations from the Golden
Globes.
Source: Universal Pictures
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