Universal has crossed a major milestone in record time.
As of Sunday morning, the studio has crossed the $3 billion mark at the global box office with more than $2 billion coming from international grosses. The global total was met for the fifth time in the studio’s history. The $3 billion mark was crossed three days faster than last year, and the overseas milestone beat the previous record by five days.
The announcement comes with the release of “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise, which is heading for a $174 worldwide debut. The movie looks to land in second in North America behind “Wonder Woman,” but is showing stronger overseas, especially in China where it looks to make $52.2 million in its opening weekend.
The studio’s primary box office force so far, though, is “The Fate of the Furious” which has earned over $1 billion in foreign sales alone. Led by a strong ensemble cast that includes Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, and Tyrese Gibson, “Fate” is currently the eleventh highest grossing movie of all time.
But don’t discount “Get Out” and “Split” — a pair of horror-thrillers Universal released with Jason Blum that both exceeded expectations and over-performed. M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” has seen even domestic and foreign earnings that have added up to over $275 million worldwide. Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” is a domestic darling with over $175 million in North America and $250 around the globe.
“Fifty Shades Darker” and a holdover from late 2016 release from Universal and Illumination, “Sing,” helped push the studio past the major milestones.
Disney is the only studio to reach $3 billion worldwide faster — the Mouse House crossed the mark as of Tuesday, May 30.
