Only yesterday we reported that Fox was celebrating a record year at the international box office (i.e. outside the US and Canada), grossing $2.263 billion, which is more than any studio has ever made internationally before. However overall it’s Warner that has most to smile about, as it’s reporting that globally in 2009, it will take more money at the box office than any studio ever has before in a single year.
With a couple of days left to go in 2009, Warner is expecting to make $3.99 billion, including a record US and Canadian gross of $2.13 billion (which surpassed the previous record of $1.789 billion that the studio made in 2008), and $1.86 billion from the rest of the world. The worldwide gross beats the previous worldside record for a single year, which was $3.66 billion that Warner set in 2007.
Warner’s success was largely driven by Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which is the biggest movie of the year, taking $929 million around the world. Indeed. more than one in three dollars the studio made at the non-US box office was for the Potter movie. The gross was also helped by hits like The Hangover, The Blind Side, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and a strong opening for Sherlock Holmes.
It’s yet more proof that during the recession, people are seeking out escapist entertainment in record numbers, and as a result studios are making more money at the cinema than ever before. Although the figures won’t be out for a few days yet, it’s almost guaranteed that 2009 will set records for the highest grossing year ever overall at the box office, as well as registering a major uptick in the number of tickets sold.