Thanks largely to the global success of “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” Warner Bros.’ international box office grosses for 2024 have hit $1 billion at the fastest pace in the studio’s century-long history.
It took 15 weeks for the studio to reach the annual milestone, passing the previous company record set in 2018. $411 million of the studio’s $1.04 billion grossed outside of North America so far has come from “Dune: Part Two,” with $278 million coming from “Godzilla x Kong.”
Other major contributors include two of the studio’s holiday releases: “Wonka” ($164 million) and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” ($130 million).
“Crossing this incredible milestone at such an accelerated pace is a proud moment for the entire team at Warner Bros. It is a true testament to our best-in-class marketing and distribution teams around the globe, as well as our amazing creative teams and filmmakers who deliver great movies for us to champion,” said Warner motion picture cochairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy in a statement.
“Congratulations to our exceptionally talented global marketing and distribution teams for this remarkable achievement. We also extend our gratitude to our partners in the exhibition community for their incredible support,” added international distribution president Andrew Cripps. “As Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca continue to build our theatrical film slate and create opportunities for us to work with the greatest partners in front of and behind the camera, we look forward to what more we can achieve in the future.”
Warner Bros. reached this record thanks to a mix of fruitful production partnerships and some outside circumstances. Both “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong” were released by Warner as part of its long-standing production partnership with Legendary Pictures, which produced the films and footed 75% of the filming budget.
That partnership was tested in 2020 when Warner, under the direction of previous CEO Jason Kilar, experimented with a day-and-date model amidst pandemic-fueled uncertainty at the box office. But their ongoing alliance has now hit new heights as “Dune 2” and “The New Empire” have combined for nearly $1.1 billion grossed at the global box office.
It’s also worth noting that “Dune: Part Two” wasn’t originally supposed to be released in 2024. The second installment in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel was set for a November 2023 release, but was moved to March due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which ended in mid-November. The move allowed the film’s cast to promote the film, and it paid off, with the movie becoming the highest-grossing film in the careers of both Villeneuve and lead actor Timothée Chalamet, who has since signed a first-look deal with Warner.
