Universal may not be first to the party, but they're just happy to be there this early.
According to Deadline, the studio just passed the $1 billion mark at the domestic box office—a number it took them a full year to reach in 2011. In 2010 and 2009, they didn't even hit the mark, but this year the studio reached the milestone a full three months faster than at any point in their history.
Disney, Warner Bros., and Sony have already reached the milestone earlier this summer, thanks largely to a trio of superhero films you may have heard about—"The Avengers," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Amazing Spiderman," respectively.
But Universal did it the old fashioned way, with star-driven hits (Mark Wahlberg appears in two of their five biggest hits of the year) and calculated risks (foul-mouthed teddy bears come to mind). Four of their films were $100 million-plus earners, with two coming in the first quarter of 2012, and another two in the summer.
In February, the Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington action film "Safe House" delivered better than expected numbers, followed a month later by their biggest earner of the year so far "The Lorax" which debuted to over $70 million on its way to a $214 million finish. "Snow White and the Huntsman" won the battle of the Snow White movies, netting a cool $154 million. The real winner for the studio is "Ted" which passed the $200 million mark this weekend and will surpass "Lorax" as their highest-grossing film of the year in a couple weeks.
Other middling successes for the studio include "Contraband," "American Reunion," and "Savages." All will finish within the $70-50 million range.
Less-performing films on their 2012 roster include "Wanderlust," "The Five-Year Engagement," and "Big Miracle," all earning between $30-15 million.
Universal does have one glaring miss this year, the box-office bomb, "Battleship," though even that domestic dud may be saved by overseas grosses.
The studio currently has four of the top 15 films of the year, more than any other studio, and five films still to be released in 2012, including this Friday's "Bourne Legacy."
2013 looks promising as well, with new installments in the "Despicable Me" and "Fast & Furious" franchises leading the way.
