By Michaela Gordoni
We are nearly midway through the global summer box office at $12.4 billion, and it’s likely to pass 2023’s record of $13.6 billion if it continues at this trajectory.
Overseas records are also hitting near post-Covid records at $6.3 billion, not including China, Deadline reported.
In April, A MINECRAFT MOVIE made just short of $1 billion at $953.5 million. LILO & STITCH currently has $864 million and is expected to cross $1 billion, as is JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH. The last JURASSIC movie, JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION made above $1 billion in 2022. Universal’s latest live-action, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, opened to $200 million worldwide in its first weekend and so far has $358.2 million.
Other movies that could soar high this summer are F1: THE MOVIE, releasing June 27; SUPERMAN, releasing July 8; THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, releasing July 25; THE NAKED GUN, releasing Aug. 1; THE BAD GUYS 2, releasing Aug. 1; and WEAPONS, coming out Aug. 8.
Excluding China, the international box office is the highest it’s been since 2019. It’s up over 9% since last year, 16% over 2022 and 3% below 2023.
Barcelona’s CineEurope conference concluded last week, and almost all European markets are reporting viewer increases. France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain have shown the most significant growth.
The UK’s newest homemade feature film, 28 YEARS LATER, came out June 20, opening to $60 million worldwide. Disney just launched ELIO on June 20, and it opened to a poor sum of $35 million worldwide — $21 million of which was domestic.
The Guardian reported that ELIO is Disney Pixar’s worst opening ever, despite getting positive reviews.
Related: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2025)
Critics have said that even good films are flopping at the box office, so new, creative franchises are some of the most promising routes for studios to take.
Responding to critics, Pixar CCO Pete Docter said: “You wouldn’t have Pixar without TOY STORY, our first original film 30 years ago! And while we also love digging into new layers of familiar worlds and characters through our sequels, I’d say there’s a unique thrill in unearthing a new story.”
“We think audiences love originals too. Sure, it might be a bit harder nowadays to break through all the noise out there, but if we do our jobs, and create something that people will love, we trust that audiences will show up,” he said.
When Pixar’s ELEMENTAL came out in 2023, it didn’t have a strong launch. Word of mouth and positive reviews were what kept it a success, and ELIO may take the same road. The movie’s best overseas opening was in Korea, where it was the No. 1 movie on Saturday, Deadline reported.
The U.S. and Canada are expected to make $4.2 billion this summer — 15% more than last year.
Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian shared why this year is bound to be an overall success: “Unlike last year, which was completely discombobulated by the strike and the resultant disruptions, this is a kick-a** summer. I think we’re definitely headed for $4 billion. The only issue might be that there are too many good films. It’s going to be like a box-office traffic jam!”
It’s a traffic jam people want — plenty of options and (hopefully) great movies.
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