Disney’s got about $5.85 billion things to smile about, and 2016 is not even over. With two months left in the year, the studio has surpassed its previous record $5.84 billion in 2015. Disney’s success has the studio on track to set a new industry record for international global box office take in 2016.
Four of the year’s top-grossing films are Disney productions: Captain America: Civil War , Zootopia , Finding Dory , and The Jungle Book . Three of these earned over $1 billion, with only The Jungle Book dipping to a modest $966 billion take.
Of course, revenue for 2016 includes $736.6 million carryover ticket sales for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released in Dec. 2015 and has earned $2.068 billion globally.
“For the second year in a row, the Walt Disney Studios has reached a new high at the box office thanks to an absolutely stellar collection of releases from Disney, Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm,” said Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn in a statement. “This success is a testament to the refined talent and innovative work the entire Studio team puts into making these world-class cinematic experiences.”
Disney’s set a few new industry records this year: it’s the fastest studio to hit $2 billion domestically (July 2016), $3 billion internationally (July 6), and $5 billion globally (July 10).
Disney may have hit its best international year ever by Oct. 16, but the year’s not over. Doctor Strange opens in North America and overseas markets this weekend. Nov. 23 will see Disney’s next princess movie, Moana, with music by Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. And Lucasfilms’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits on Dec. 16.
So the question isn’t whether Disney will break Universal’s record of $6.89 billion in 2015. It’s by how much. And if these numbers are anything to go by, Disney can look forward to securing major bragging rights at the holiday party this year.
Excited for any of Disney’s upcoming movies? Feel free to chat about Disney’s record-breaking year in our comments section below.
