Universal Pictures crossed $5 billion at the global box office for the second time in the studio’s 105-year history with The Fate of the Furious and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 3 revving up their 2017 coffers. The global total to date for the studio, specifically, is $5.003 billion, which breaks out as $1.605 billion domestically and $3.398 billion internationally.
Fate of the Furious and DM3 also gave Universal bragging rights as the only in 2017 to achieve two billion-dollar grossers. Those two films also stand as two of the highest-grossing films at the worldwide box office this year, as well as the two top-grossing international studio releases of 2017.
Examining those two pictures alone, Fate of the Furious — which was released back in April — sped to the biggest global opening of all time at $542M as well as the biggest international opening ever $443.2M. The film ended its run with $1.235 billion worldwide. Internationally, the franchise film became only the sixth film in history to cross $1 billion at the international box office. It is also the top-grossing foreign film of all-time in China.
The studio’s second juggernaut — DM3 which released June 30 — ended up grossing $1.03 billion worldwide. What’s staggering is that Illumination films have now collectively made more than $5.7 billion, and the Despicable Me franchise has become the highest-grossing animated film series worldwide. Illumination has two films (Minions & Despicable Me 3) which have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, a first for any animated franchise. The animation company also can boast two of the top-four highest-grossing animated films of all time.
Other films that fed Universal’s $5B coffers were three original micro-budget hits— breakout hits Split, Happy Death Day and the acclaimed Get Out (thank you Blumhouse). All three films opened to No. 1 domestically. Split, which starred James McAvoy in one of the creepiest characters to come along since Hannibal Lecter, opened in January and collected $278.3M worldwide.
Get Out was released a month later and grossed $254.1M worldwide and Happy Death Day jumped past the $100M mark after its October bow. So collectively those three films contributed $630M globally for the studio.
In addition, The Mummy released this summer, grossed $409.1M worldwide. The studio’s second chapter in the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades’ series, Fifty Shades Darker grossing more than $380M. Amblin Partner’s A Dogs Purpose grossed nearly $196.2M globally despite the controversy that ‘dogged’ it.
The studio also enjoyed another a breakout comedy Girls Trip which chalked up the highest-grossing opening for a live-action comedy this year at the domestic box office when it bowed in July. The female-driven film has taken in more than $138.6M globally.
Universal also credits its specialty division Focus Features with an outstanding year with titles such as Atomic Blonde, Victoria & Abdul, Darkest Hour and The Beguiled all contributing to the studio’s overall gross.
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