2019 proved to be a huge year for Disney, with the global entertainment giant completing its acquisition of 20th Century Fox’s film and TV assets, as well as entering the streaming arena with the launch of its Disney+ subscription service. On top of that, the Mouse House enjoyed a phenomenal year at the box office, shattering the previous industry record for combined box office receipts for a single studio in a calendar year by some $3.5 billion – and that’s not including the inherited Fox titles.
As reported by Deadline, Disney distributed films grossed $11.12 billion during 2019, overshadowing the previous record of $7.6 billion set by the studio in 2016. Successes included Avengers: Endgame, with its $2.8 billion dethroning Avatar as the highest-grossing movie of all time, as well as the likes of Captain Marvel, Toy Story 4, Frozen II, The Lion King, Aladdin and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
“We are very proud of our studios team and the extraordinary slate of films they delivered to fans all around the world in 2019,” said Disney co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman. “This was a year like no other! We both know that these achievements would not have been possible without both the imaginative and compelling storytelling from the talented filmmakers and production teams across all of our film labels, and the exceptional work of our marketing, distribution, and operations teams and everyone at The Walt Disney Studios.”
The $11.12 billion figure doesn’t include Fox releases, which totalled just over $2 billion, for a combined figure of $13.15 billion. Disney had decided to keep the two totals separate, given that the acquisition was completed partway through the year, although in 2020 these grosses will be combined. However, even with Fox titles included moving forward, one has to imagine it will be some time before this new 2019 record is broken…
Originally published January 5, 2020. Updated January 4, 2020.
