Warner Bros tops box office with $2.2 billion in 2007

MUMBAI: Hollywood major Warner Bros tops international box office in 2007, with a revenue of $2.15 billion.

The $2-billion figure this year represents the company‘s second-highest gross, trailing only the $2.2 billion achieved in 2004, the highest in the industry.

Internationally, this year Warner Bros‘ bouquet of films includes Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 300, Ocean‘s Thirteen, Blood Diamond and Beowulf. The five films alone grossed $1.3 billion, while Beowulf is still running in the theaters.

Disney has raked in about $1.66 billion, followed by 20th Century Fox at $1.64 billion, Paramount Pictures at $1.60 billion, Sony Pictures at $1.27 billion and Universal Pictures at a touch above $1 billion.

While Warner Bros won the international box office numbers, Paramount won the battle domestically, with $1.47 billion. Warner Bros was second with $1.34 billion of its worldwide $2.15 billion coming in the US.

Disney‘s 2007 release Pirates of the Caribbean: At World‘s End emerged as the biggest-grossing film in 2007 with $653 million internationally. Disney and Pixar‘s Ratatouille grossed $411 million as well.

Paramount‘s recent purchase of DreamWorks proved to be very profitable as Shrek the Third registered $475 million, while Transformers tallied $387 million. Both movies were under DreamWorks.

Spider Man 3 chalked up $555 million for Sony Pictures, making it the highest-grossing installment of the Spider Man franchise and kicking off the highest-grossing international summer blockbuster in movie history.

Sony also got a boost from The Pursuit of Happyness ($121 million) and Ghost Rider ($104 million).

Universal Pictures had just two films that grossed over $100 million – The Bourne Ultimatum ($215 million) and Mr Bean‘s Holiday ($192 million). However, it had a bevy of films that grossed between $50-75 million, such as Evan Almighty ($73 million), The Holiday ($73 million), Knocked Up ($70 million), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry ($65 million), Hot Fuzz ($57 million) and American Gangster ($53 million).