Deadline are reporting that Toy Story 3 is expected to cross the $1bn threshold in box-office receipts this weekend which, when taken with Alice In Wonderland, gives the House of Mouse two releases that have grossed over $1bn in the space of a single year.
As of Friday morning, IMDb had Toy Story 3 sitting at a fraction over $984m in worldwide receipts, making it extremely likely that it will top $1bn in the next few days, especially given how strong it is continuing to perform outside the US. Alice in Wonderland finished at $1.023bn, although both films have benefited considerably from the increased ticket prices for 3-D releases.
It took several years for another film (The Return of the King) to join Titanic in crossing the $1bn threshold, there have been a number since and it is not inconceivable that in the course of the next year the final installments of Harry Potter and Transformers 3 will join this elite club. Disney’s press release reads as follows:-
BURBANK, Calif. – August 27, 2010 – Two weeks after becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 will cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office today, joining Alice in Wonderland as the second $1 billion film this year from The Walt Disney Studios – the first studio in history to accomplish this feat. Disney first crossed the $1 billion threshold with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in 2006. Toy Story 3 becomes the only animated film to reach this milestone and the seventh title in industry history.
“It’s been an incredible year as we saw the Pixar team bring Buzz and Woody back to the big screen and watched Tim Burton’s vision for Alice in Wonderland take the world by storm,” said Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “These box office triumphs prove that creative storytelling brought to life by imaginative, inspired and talented professionals is something audiences respond to the world over.”
As of Thursday (8/26/10), Toy Story 3 tallied more than $592.9 million internationally, Disney’s largest international animated release. Latin American audiences have contributed $138 million making Toy Story 3 the highest grossing Disney film ever released in the region. Toy Story 3 is the most successful UK release in Disney history and currently stands as the fourth biggest title in territory history with $102.4 million in box office receipts so far. In Japan, the film has taken in $111.2 million and spent five consecutive weeks as the #1 movie. Toy Story 3
currently ranks as the #7 film in global box office history and domestically ranks #9 with $404.6 million in receipts to date.
Alice in Wonderland began setting records during its opening weekend (March 5-7), becoming the biggest March opening in industry history, the highest 3D opening ever and The Walt Disney Studios’ biggest opening for a non-sequel film. Internationally, the film went on to tally more than $690 million, becoming Disney’s biggest overseas release of all time and the fourth biggest title ever released overseas. Worldwide, the film took in $1.0243 billion, ranking it as the #5 film in global box office history.
currently ranks as the #7 film in global box office history and domestically ranks #9 with $404.6 million in receipts to date.
