Disney Sets New Record: Five Movies In A Single Year Cross $1 Billion Worldwide
By Chris Evangelista/Aug. 16, 2019 2:30 pm EST
It’s Disney’s world, we’re all just living in it. The mega-company has had a great 2019 – and the year isn’t even over yet. After Toy Story 4 recently crossed over $1 billion worldwide, Disney became the first studio to have five movies gross over $1 billion in a single year. Those five films are:
The only outlier here is Tim Burton’s Dumbo, which failed to reach such lofty heights. Sorry, Dumbo. On top of this, Disney still has Frozen 2, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and of course, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker headed to theaters this year. At least one, if not all, of those films, is sure to hit the $1 billion mark, which I’m sure will make Walt Disney’s frozen head smile.
What can be learned from all of this? It’s simple: Disney is very good at what they do. They have built up their brand to the point where they are literally too big to fail. Part of that is because they have the market cornered on big releases (a monopoly, if you will). While other studios fight to find an audience, Disney’s audience is built-in, be it through nostalgia, or fandom, or both.
Disney also succeeds because they’re not interested in taking too many risks. They know what formula works for them, and they’re happy to return to it again and again. Case in point: a report recently surfaced that revealed Disney execs were nervous about Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi’s dark comedy about a boy who has an imaginary friend that just happens to be Hitler. Per that report, while screening the film, a Disney executive grew worried Jojo Rabbit “would alienate Disney fans.”
I want to be clear: I have no problem with Disney movies. Many of them are good! It’s just a bit disheartening to see them hold all the cards while every other studio goes bust.
