BOX OFFICE: How The Big Film Studios Fared At The Domestic Box Office In 2014
2014 winds to a close tomorrow, and, by most accounts, it's been a great year for movies in general. Comic book movies and ambitious sci-fi projects continue to dominate, but which of the big movie studios came out on top at the US box office? The answer may surprise you...
In a report put together by Deadline, it appears that 20th Century Fox have leapt to the top of the pile in 2014 with an impressive $1.769 billion. The driving force behind their success seems to have been their blockbuster franchises - including Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes ($208.5 Mn) & X-Men: Days Of Future Past ($233.9 Mn). The latter was Fox's top grossing movie, and with numbers like that, it's unlikely those mutants are heading back to Marvel Studios anytime soon...
|
# |
Studio |
Total Gross (US, $ Bn) |
% Change (2013) |
|
1 |
20th Century Fox |
1.769 |
+66% |
|
2 |
Walt Disney Studios |
1.594 |
-7% |
|
3 |
Warner Bros. |
1.54 |
-17% |
|
4 |
Sony Pictures |
1.28 |
+9% |
|
5 |
Universal Pictures |
1.098 |
-23% |
|
6 |
Paramount Pictures |
1.043 |
+8% |
|
7 |
Lionsgate Entertainment |
0.730 |
-32% |
Despite registering the highest grossing film of the year (domestically) in Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy ($332.9 Mn), the Disney empire could only settle for second place with $1.594 Bn, 7% down on 2013's takings. There were other hits in the form of Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($259.8 Mn) and Angelina Jolie's Maleficent ($241.4 Mn), but the House Of Mouse struggled to replicate the success of last year's Iron Man 3 ($409 Mn) and Frozen ($ 400.7 Mn).
Sorely missing a big blockbuster superhero movie in 2014, Warner Bros fell from 1st to 3rd, dropping 17% with a $1.54 Bn total. No title managed to match Man Of Steel's $281 Mn, but there were still impressive returns from The Lego Movie ($257.8 Mn), Godzilla ($200.7 Mn) and The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies ($168 Mn) - which has yet to finish its theatrical run.
Despite their well-documented problems behind the scenes with that devastating hacking scandal, Sony still managed to register a 9% increase from 2013, taking in $1.248 Bn at the box office. Their top earner was naturally the much-maligned The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($202.9 Mn). Will this have any impact on the potential sale of the character to Marvel? The movie still underperfomed, and with the Bond and Jump Street franchises waiting in the wings, Sony do have replacements.
Michael Bay was responsible for a large proportion of Paramount's takings, delivering two hits with Transformers: Age Of Extinction ($245.4 Mn) & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ($191.2 Mn).
Lionsgate once again got by on the strength of its young-adult franchises, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 still potentially able to overtake Guardians to become the year's highest domestic grosser. Like The Hobbit, it has yet to complete its theatrical run.
What d'you guys think? Are you surprised that Fox trumped both Disney and Warner Bros to the top spot this year? And with new Star Wars, Avengers and Bond films all on the way for 2015, which studio will head up the list in twelve months time? Let us know with your thoughts below.