If the powers that be at Universal Studios made a New Year’s resolution to break the record for biggest box-office year in history, they can phone in the rest of 2015. The studio has already raked in a record $5.53 billion globally, passing the $5.52 billion Fox earned in 2014— and it’s only August. Powered by Jurassic World ($1.56 billion) and Furious 7 ($1.51 billion), Universal has also made a relative killing with Minions ($856.9 million), Fifty Shades Of Grey ($569.7 million), and Pitch Perfect 2 ($283 million).
Given that the studio put out the third-highest grossing film in history and fastest-ever movie to $1 billion in the same year, this feat isn’t altogether surprising. The overall quality of their slate is what’s most impressive — despite its troubles, Jurassic World was generally well-received, and if Vin Diesel’s claims have any merit, Furious 7 will win this year’s Best Picture Oscar. To add to it all, Universal still has “five months remaining in 2015 and 10 films still to come,” as Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Pictures, points out. That means there’s still plenty of room to shatter both the former record and the ceiling on Diesel’s ego.
