Disney Falls From #1 Studio at Box Office for the First Time Since 2015
Universal Pictures tops the 2023 box office.
Disney is no longer the highest grossing studio at the box office. According to Variety, Universal Pictures, powered by hits such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Oppenheimer, and M3GAN, ranked as the highest grossing studio at the 2023 box office, dethroning Disney for the first time since 2015. In 2023, Universal brought in $4.907 billion in worldwide ticket sales as compared to Disney's number-two spot snagging $4.827.
According to the report, Disney released 17 new films in 2023 — seven fewer films than Universal, which is something some analysts have taken into consideration. They also noted that even with the difference in overall number of films, Disney still had the most titles of any studio in the overall top ten as well as three of the biggest domestic releases and four of the highest-grossing global releases as well. However, the report also noted that 2023 was the first year since 2014 (2020 and 2021 notwithstanding) that Disney failed to cross $1 billion with a film.
As for the rest of the top five, Warner Bros came in third with #3.84 billion globally thanks to films like Barbie and The Nun II while Sony and Paramount reportedly brought in around $2 billion each.
The 2023 Domestic Box Office Topped $9 Billion
Overall, the 2023 domestic box office topped $9 billion, an impressive number considering the challenges the industry faced in 2023, including the actors' and writers' strikes.
"Hitting $9 billion is more than just about dollars and cents, it's about the lessons learned in what was arguably one of the most significant and challenging years for the movie business," Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Deadline, referring to the months-long double strikes that hit Hollywood earlier this year. "Moviegoers are the most powerful players in Hollywood and are providing actionable intelligence on a weekly basis to studios and creatives who can learn much from the unexpected success of films that were not even on the radar at the beginning of the year."
He added: "As a historic box office year comes to a close amidst the tumultuous backdrop of strikes, streaming and shifting audience tastes, the bottom line is that the theatrical experience remains an essential part of the entertainment ecosystem."
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