Universal tops Disney, becomes 2023 highest-grossing studio

Universal Pictures claimed the top spot at the 2023 box office, surpassing Disney, propelled by the success of films like "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", "Oppenheimer", and "M3GAN", collectively accumulating USD 4.907 billion in global ticket sales. 

The victory marks the first time since 2015 that Disney has been outpaced as the global box office leader.

Disney, with a lineup of 17 new films, including "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3", "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", and "The Little Mermaid", gathered USD 4.827 billion in global box office revenue. 

Notably, Disney emphasised the release of fewer movies compared to Universal, attributing the USD 80 million difference in revenue partially to this factor. However, Disney held the most titles amongst the top 10 studios for the year, securing four of the highest-grossing global releases and three of the biggest domestic releases.

In an unprecedented turn, none of Disney's films made it to the top three highest-grossing movies. These spots were claimed by Warner Bros' "Barbie" (USD 1.4 billion), Universal's "The Super Mario Bros Movie" (USD 1.3 billion) and "Oppenheimer" (USD 950 million). 

This marks the first time since 2014, excluding the pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, that none of Disney's movies crossed the USD 1 billion benchmark.

Despite being a powerhouse in the industry, Disney faced challenges in 2023, with several tentpole releases failing to meet expectations. While "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3" achieved notable success with USD 845 million, a series of underperforming sequels and remakes such as "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania", "The Marvels", and "Haunted Mansion" resulted in Disney conceding its box office dominance to Universal.

Disney's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" grossed USD 476 million, securing the 10th-highest grossing position but still operated at a loss during its theatrical run.

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Warner Bros trailed behind Universal and Disney, securing the third position with a global box office revenue of USD 3.84 billion, anchored by films like "Barbie", "The Nun II", and "Wonka".

Both Sony and Paramount, although final grosses for 2023 are unreported, claimed spots in the top five, each accumulating an estimated USD 2 billion globally. Sony is expected to inch slightly ahead with an estimated USD 2.09 billion globally, highlighted by releases like "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse", "Equalizer 3", and "Napoleon".

Paramount, featuring major releases such as "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One", "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves", and "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie", concluded the year with an estimated USD 2.03 billion globally.