According to Variety, the summer movie box office is enjoying a record season; however, this is not good news for everyone in the movie business. With just three weekends left, the summer movie season has raked in $4.15 billion to date, potentially meaning that the record $4.4 billion earned in 2011 could be surpassed this year.
The reality, however, is that Hollywood is not one homogenous entity; while the figures may be good news for studios such as Disney or Universal, the results are less than spectacular for firms such as Sony. Sony executives are unlikely to be celebrating the record summer season when their own movies have endured a pretty miserable time in theaters.
Will Smith’s After Earth, which cost $130 million, took in just $60 million, while White House Down, which cost $150 million, earned only $60 million. Elysium, which cost $115 million, has opened with $29 million and seems to have little hope of enjoying a lengthy run. While This is the End and Grown Ups 2 proved to be solid comedy hits for Sony, the studio’s overall track record this summer has been more miss than hit.
On the other hand, Universal is likely to be delighted with how its summer has been progressing, earning $1.8 billion at the international box office alone – a personal record. Domestic success has been consistent too, with Despicable Me 2 and Fast & Furious 6 being huge hits, and a surprise success in the form of horror movie The Purge.
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