Disney On Track To Break Global Box Office Record

Despite a major hiccup at the box office this year, the folks at Disney are currently on track to break the global box office record they set back in 2010.

Although Gore Verbinski’s extremely expensive western The Lone Ranger didn’t make nearly as much money as the studio had hoped, this apparently didn’t stop the dollars from rolling in. According to The Wrap, Disney will exceed $3.791 billion by the end of the year.

Despite this surprising cinematic disaster, Disney still made a metric ton of money at the global box office over the course of 2013. Judging from their official press release, they’re pretty proud of themselves.

Walt Disney Studios president Alan Bergman said this while patting himself on the back:

“With incredible results from our Marvel, Disney and Pixar brands, this is a phenomenal achievement and we still have seven weeks and three exciting films to go this year. What all of our films have in common is not only quality but great characters and universal stories that connect with people around the world, which is so important to us.”

How did the folks at Disney make this much cash with a flop like The Lone Ranger on their hands? The studio achieved this lofty goal with a little help from Marvel Studios and Pixar. Since almost every Marvel movie that hits the big screen these days is a certified smash hit, Disney walked away with quite a bit of the world’s collective paycheck.

According to Box Office Mojo, director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 made a whopping $1.2 million worldwide during its theatrical run. Although the studio risked $200 million on the flick, it’s clear that the gamble paid off in the long run.

Thor: The Dark World is also on its way to making serious bank from moviegoers around the world. At present, the movie has generated an impressive $337 million globally. That number is only going to get bigger in the coming weeks.

Director Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful and Pixar’s Monsters University also helped Disney achieve worldwide box office success. Coming Soon points out that Saving Mr. Banks, Delivery Man, and the animated flick Frozen are still waiting in the theatrical wings. In other words, they’re not finished making money yet.

Chances are Disney will break this record yet again when 2015 rolls around. Not only is the studio releasing Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron, they also have the deck stacked with Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII.

Are you surprised that Disney will break its own global box office record this year?

[Image via Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures]