|
MUMBAI: Led by the success of 300 and
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
earlier this year, and the more recently launched
Fred Claus and Beowulf, Warner
Bros. Pictures International (WBPI) has surpassed
the $2 billion threshold in overseas box office.
The
division hits this mark as it wraps up a fourth
quarter that features the upcoming sci-fi thriller
I Am Legend starring Will Smith.
The
division has achieved its second highest gross
ever, behind the $2.2 billion made in 2004,
which remains the industry's all-time highest
gross. The 2007 take is 78 per cent ahead of
the same period in 2006, which includes $62
million generated by Village Roadshow Pictures
territories.
WBPI
enjoyed a strong start to the year with the
continued overseas success of the Oscar winner
The Departed, which grossed $159 million
worldwide, and more than $36 million in 2007,
marking director Martin Scorsese's highest grossing
film internationally; Oscar-winning Happy
Feet also released in 2006 with a $187 million
worldwide gross, brought in $74 million in 2007,
as well as Blood Diamond which took in
a total of $114 million.
The
worldwide box office performance of three films
stood out in 2007 -- 300, which took
in $246 million internationally; Ocean's
Thirteen with $194 million and exceeding
the domestic gross by more than 65 per cent,
and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
bringing in a record-breaking $645 million and
doubling the domestic returns.
Also
contributing to the $2 billion tally were titles
including Music and Lyrics, David Fincher's
Zodiac and No Reservations.
|