The summer box office season got off to a worrying start this year, but picked up the pace gradually, before exploding over the last month or so. And one studio has experienced the entire gamut of emotions, having released four movies that encapsulate the spectrum of hits and misses across the summer. This weekend, Disneybecame the first studio to pass the $3 billion mark in global box office revenue this year, with only four wide releases to its name.
The studio began the summer with the notorious horror under-performer The First Omen, which represented a time when alarm bells were going off in the industry thanks to notable misfires such as The Fall Guy and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Many had already written obituaries for the lucrative box office season before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes came along and breathed fresh life into the marketplace, with help from Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die. This phase of minor stability was followed by the year’s first billion-dollar-grossing blockbuster, Inside Out 2, which laid the foundation for the success of Deadpool & Wolverine.
Curiously, three of these four movies are essentially 20th Century Studios titles, released by Disney after its takeover of the former 20th Century Fox and its assets. Combined, they’ve contributed to over $3.1 billion in global box office revenue. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, The First Omen — a prequel to the classic 1976 horror film — ended its run with just $54 million worldwide against a reported budget of $30 million. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball, has so far made $396 million worldwide, against a reported budget of $160 million. But it wasn’t until the release of Inside Out 2 that things began to take off. The hit sequel has grossed over $1.56 billion globally, having cemented itself as the top-grossing animated movie of all time, and one of the top 10 highest-grossing movies in history.
Disney Can Look Forward to Billions More Later this Year
Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine has generated $824 million worldwide so far, and is set to pass the $1 billion mark by next weekend. The superhero blockbuster is already the year’s second-biggest hit, and the third-biggest R-rated movie in global box office history. Combined, Disney spent approximately $600 million on producing these movies, and many more millions to promote them. What also unites these four films is the fact that they’ve all received positive reviews. While The First Omen holds an 81% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has an 80% score, Inside Out 2 has a 91% score, and Deadpool & Wolverine has a 78% score.
The studio has more potential blockbusters lined up for release in the second half of the year. In a couple of weeks, Disney — once again via 20th Century Studios — will launch Alien: Romulus, the latest installment in the long-running science-fiction franchise. In November, the studio will release Moana 2, a sequel to the hit 2016 animated film, followed by another animated sequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, in December.
via Collider