Paramount Pictures just announced that it won the battle of the box office in 2011. Paramount came in first place at the box office in 2011, posting a record $5.17 billion worldwide. The studio’s 16 new 2011 releases totaled $1.96 billion at the North American box office and a record-setting $3.21 billion internationally.
“This achievement reflects the combined efforts of our entire team across the globe and the careful process by which we select the projects and partners we believe in,” stated Paramount Pictures Chairman & CEO Brad Grey in the press release. “We produce pictures that aspire to entertain audiences around the world, while at the same time, we have sought to find innovative ways to reach movie-goers in this changing entertainment environment.”
“This year, our studio reached some key milestones, including the release of three vibrant Paramount franchise pictures and our first original CGI animated film. Our studio had its first-ever $1 billion worldwide grossing film in Michael Bay’s hit Transformers: Dark of the Moon; we successfully re-launched our Mission Impossible franchise with Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams, and Brad Bird; our latest installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise had another $100 million dollar success; our first original animated film Rango, from director Gore Verbinski, earned rave reviews and more than $100 million at the domestic box office; and we released global phenomenon Super 8, directed by JJ Abrams, who will now direct the newest Star Trek for 2013. We also benefited from our distribution partnerships with DreamWorks Animation and Marvel, and I want to thank them both.”
“Film President Adam Goodman and his team in production and development, and Vice Chairman Rob Moore and his team in marketing and distribution, did outstanding work and truly delivered. As we prepare to celebrate Paramount’s 100th year in 2012, we are all grateful to be part of this wonderful institution as it continues to prosper,” added Grey.
Upcoming films slated for release in 2012 include World War Z, a zombie thriller starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the next installment in the global franchise starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Channing Tatum, a new chapter in the Paranormal Activity franchise, and The Dictator, starring Sacha Baron Cohen and directed by Larry Charles, the team behind Borat.
