Universal Pictures has added the all-time record for domestic grosses in one year to its list of accomplishments in 2015, giving the studio a triple crown at the box office.
Wednesday’s announcement by Universal Distribution President Nicholas Carpou that the studio has hit a record $2.113 billion in North American grosses comes after it earlier set records for international and worldwide grosses in a year.
Universal hasn’t wasted any time etching its name into the record books. It passed the old domestic mark of $2.105 billion four months earlier than the previous record holder Warner Bros. did in 2009.
“This continues to be an extraordinary year for our studio, and our success is a result of every division working cohesively to bring the best possible version of our films into theaters,” said Carpou, who is in his first year in the post.
“We work alongside inspired filmmakers with a passion for telling great stories, and with this year’s diverse slate we were fortunate to identify release dates that maximized theatrical grosses. We share this success with our partners in exhibition and look forward to the remainder of the year.”
Some 2015 highlights:
- Universal has five of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year: No. 1, “Jurassic World” ($639.8 million); No. 3, “Furious 7” ($352.6 million); No. 6, Illumination’s “Minions” ($321.1 million); No. 8, “Pitch Perfect 2” ($183.8 million) and No. 10, “Fifty Shades of Grey” ($166.2 million).
- Universal has six of the top ten biggest openings of the year: No. 1, “Jurassic World” ($208.7 million); No. 3, “Furious 7” ($147.2 million); No. 4, Illumination’s “Minions” ($115.7 million); No. 7, “Fifty Shades of Grey” ($85.2 million); No. 8, “Pitch Perfect 2” ($69.2 million) and No. 10, “Straight Outta Compton” ($60.2 million).
- The studio had six films open at No. 1 at the North American box office and a Universal film has been No. 1 for 13 weeks, more than any other studio.
- “Jurassic World” had the biggest opening weekend of all-time at the North American box office and was No. 1 for three weeks; it is the highest-grossing June opening ever and is currently the third-highest-grossing film of all time.
- “Minions” had the second-highest-grossing opening for an animated film in North America and the highest opening for Illumination Entertainment.
- “Furious 7” had the highest-grossing opening ever for the month of April and held the No. 1 position at the domestic box office for four weekends in a row.
- “Fifty Shades of Grey” is the biggest February opening ever and Universal’s highest R-rated opening.