Thanks in large part to the global success of “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” Warner Bros. By 2024 it has reached $1 billion at the fastest rate in the studio’s century-long history.
It took the studio 15 weeks to achieve this annual milestone, surpassing the company’s previous record set in 2018. Of the studio’s $1. 04 billion in earnings outside of North America, $411 million so far has come from “Dune: Part Two”. totaling $278 million from “Godzilla x Kong. “
Other top entrants come with two of the studio’s holiday releases: “Wonka” ($164 million) and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” ($130 million).
“Reaching this milestone at such an accelerated speed is a proud moment for the entire Warner Bros. team. It’s a true testament to our most productive marketing and distribution groups around the world, as well as our artistic groups and filmmakers who provide us with wonderful films to champion,” Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-presidents and CEO of Warner Motion Picture, said in a statement.
“Congratulations to our exceptionally talented global marketing and distribution groups on this remarkable achievement. We also express our gratitude to our partners in the netpaintings exhibition for their incredible support,” added President of International Distribution, Andrew Cripps. As Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca continue to expand our variety of cinematic films and create opportunities for us to work with the most important partners in front of the camera, and look ahead to see what more we can accomplish in the future. “
Warner Bros. achieved this record through a combination of successful production partnerships and outside circumstances. “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong” were released through Warner as part of its longstanding production partnership with Legendary Pictures, which produced the films and financed 75% of the filming budget.
This partnership was put to the test in 2020 when Warner, under the leadership of former CEO Jason Kilar, experimented with a day-and-date style amid pandemic-fueled uncertainty in the workplace. But their ongoing partnership has now reached new heights as “Dune 2. “and “The New Empire” have totaled about $1. 1 billion in international box office revenue.
It’s also worth noting that “Dune: Part Two” wasn’t scheduled to be released in 2024 in the first place. The second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the old sci-fi novel was scheduled for release in November 2023, but was moved to March due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which ended in mid-November. This resolution allowed the film’s cast to publicize the film, and it paid off, as the film became the highest-grossing film of the careers of Villeneuve and lead actor Timothée Chalamet, who has since signed a starring contract. look with Warner.