Update: 6/5/17
*Walt Disney Studios has achieved $2 billion in international box office sales for the 8th consecutive year, according to Deadline. With $1.55 billion domestic and $2.055 billion internationally, Disney’s current global earnings are $3.21 billion. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has managed to take in $501.2 million worldwide and is the number 6 release of 2017 globally.*
While this Memorial Day weekend had the lowest total domestic box office sales since 1999, Disney is probably not losing any sleep over it. Disney’s most recent blockbusters, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, ran the last leg of the race for Disney to reach $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales, thanks in no small part to their success in China.
There are a lot of figures to explain the success, so let’s break them down to the basics:
- Disney made $3 billion globally: $1.1 billion comes from domestic sales, $1.9 billion from international sales
- Dead Men Tell No Tales has earned a total of $365.7 million: owing $85.3 million to domestic and $280.4 million to international. The film passed $100 million in China, which was a focus of Disney marketing. This puts the Pirates franchise past $4 billion in global earnings.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 brought in $797.4 million worldwide: $342.7 million domestic, $454.7 million international. It outperformed the series’ first installment and became Marvel Studios 5th release to pass $800 million.
Large successes internationally, specifically in China, seem to be helping Disney amass the hefty profits they are looking for with these well known properties. Disney has had a succession of successful features, due in no small part to its ownership of Marvel and Star Wars properties, as well as its own intellectual property. So far, 2017 has seen the releases of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. All highly profitable films overseas. Even if this year’s domestic numbers are lower than Hollywood would prefer, Disney does not seem to be suffering for it.
Image: Disney
