Disney is surpassed! Universal Pictures becomes the highest-grossing film company in 2023

According to foreign media Variety, thanks to "Oppenheimer" and "Super Mario Bros. Movie", Universal Pictures became the film company with the highest box office revenue in 2023, with global box office revenue reaching US$4.907 billion. Disney, the box office champion for many years, was surpassed by Universal Pictures and lost its throne.

The news is not surprising to those who closely follow the film industry, as Universal Pictures released several highly profitable films last year. In 2023, Universal released more than 20 films, and three stood out: "Oppenheimer," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and Blumhouse's sci-fi horror "Megan."

To better understand this number, let's look at the performance of two blockbuster movies: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released last April and grossed over $1 billion worldwide during its theatrical run, and Oppenheimer, which grossed over $954 million worldwide. Both of these movies are in the top three global box office of 2023, along with Warner Bros.' live-action Barbie. While Megan didn't break box office records like the first two movies, it still accumulated $168 million during its theatrical run, and a sequel is scheduled for release in 2025.

In contrast, Disney, known as a box office giant in the film industry, did not have a single movie that reached $1 billion in 2023. Despite the release of many films last year, including "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," "The Little Mermaid," "Indiana Jones 5," "Haunted Mansion," and "Captain Marvel 2," the total global box office for all Disney movies released in 2023 was $4.827 billion.

Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned in August last year that the performance of recent movies was "disappointing." "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" became one of Disney's highest-grossing movies last year, with a global box office of $845 million.