Deadline is reporting that the global box office set a new record in 2017, with a final tally of $39.92 billion – a 6% increase over 2016 – which includes $11.12 billion from North America (down 2.3% on 2016’s $11.4 billion) and a record $28.8 billion from international markets.
By close of play on the year, 2017’s highest-earner was Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on $1.264 billion, followed by The Fate of the Furious ($1.236 billion), Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($1.04 billion), Despicable Me 3 ($1.033 billion) and Spider-Man: Homecoming ($880.2 million).
The international haul received a healthy boost from China’s hit sequel Wolf Warrior 2, which became only the second movie ever to pass $800 million in a single market after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and grossed $870.3 million worldwide from a budget of just $30 million.
Other big hitters this past year included Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Thor: Ragnarok, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Coco, Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman, Justice League, It, Dunkirk and Kong Skull Island, and Fox’s Logan.
“Going to the movies is truly a worldwide phenomenon,” said Paul Dergarabedian, comScore’s Senior Media Analyst. “The ‘big screen’ experience was bolstered by a unique and compelling slate of titles in 2017 that sparked an exceptional level of enthusiasm by patrons who flocked to movie theaters around the globe.”