Disney set the record for the highest-grossing year for a studio ever, and it’s only July.
The company has brought in an industry record $7.67 billion to date at the worldwide box office, it announced on Sunday. That passed the previous record, which was also set by Disney, when it made $7.61 billion at the global box office in 2016.
The House of Mouse has dominated the box office this year thanks to a lineup of blockbuster films from some of its biggest brands including Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame,” which last weekend passed ‘Avatar’ as the biggest box-office blockbuster ever.
Disney has three films that have made more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office in 2019: “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel” and “Aladdin.” The company could soon have five films that have crossed that threshold with “Toy Story 4” and “The Lion King” making more than $900 million worldwide.
The studio also has the top five highest-grossing films at the domestic box office this year.
“Disney’s global domination is a reflection of what happens when you have some of the biggest brands in film,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscor, told CNN Business. “Not to mention, the marketing muscle to get that content on the minds of virtually every potential moviegoer around the world on a consistent basis.”
Disney’s record numbers could grow even larger as it heads into the second half of 2019.
The studio has notable films on the slate for the fall and winter including “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” in October, “Frozen 2” in November and the final chapter of the Skywalker saga, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” opening in December.
There won’t be many challenges facing Disney at the box office for the rest of 2019, but it should be a strong second half of the year for other studios as well as Disney, Dergarabedian said.
“Rival studios will be there with their own competing blockbusters such as Warner Bros.’ ‘It: Chapter 2’ in September and Sony’s ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ in December,” he said. “Those films and others like them will make their mark with audiences who are always looking for different types of content at the multiplex.”
