Motion Pictures
June 10, 2004
Warner Bros. Pictures International Crosses $1 Billion Mark In Overseas Box Office
(June 10, 2004 – Burbank, CA) – Less than six months into 2004, Warner Bros. Pictures International has grossed a year-to-date international box office of over $1.2 billion as of June 7th (see editor’s note below), marking the earliest point in the year that the subsidiary has crossed the billion-dollar point. This is the seventh time in its history that Warner Bros. Pictures International has crossed this milestone (’04, ’03, ’02, ’01, ’99, ’95, ’93).
Warner Bros. Pictures International has been jointly headed by Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President, Distribution, and Sue Kroll, President, Marketing, since 2001. Warner Bros. Pictures International has had four consecutive years grossing over $1 billion since Kroll and Kwan-Rubinek have been at its helm, finishing first among all studios in 2001 and 2002.
Contributing to this success in 2004 were the international performances of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” which has conjured up $136 million to date; “The Last Samurai,” which grossed $297 million, calendar year to date (cumulative to date $344 million), with approximately one-third coming from Japan alone; “Troy,” with a total of $274 million; “Something’s Gotta Give,” which earned $140 million; “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” with $95 million (2004 figures, limited territories); and “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” which has grossed $93 million to date.
“We are thrilled with the tremendous start we’ve had to this year; it’s been rewarding to work on so many terrific films with such gifted filmmakers and talent. We're proud of our successful marketing campaigns, which have been tailored for a diverse group of audiences around the world, and we're looking ahead to an exciting second half of 2004,” said Kroll.
"Our success over the first half of this year is a true testament to the strength and collaboration of our teams around the world. Thanks to the tremendous efforts ranging from Production, to Post-Production, to Technical Operations, Domestic and International, we are especially pleased that we have been able to effect successful day-and-date launches on some of our biggest films this year, including ‘Troy,’ ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ and ‘Scooby-Doo2: Monsters Unleashed.’ This helps us combat piracy and maximize each film’s competitive positioning and global potential,” stated Kwan-Rubinek.
Releases for the second half of 2004 include “Catwoman,” the action/adventure film starring Halle Berry; “House of Wax,” the Dark Castle Entertainment remake of the 1953 horror classic; “Alexander,” directed by Oliver Stone and starring Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, and Anthony Hopkins; “The Polar Express,” the holiday film from the Academy Award-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis; and “Ocean’s Twelve,” which adds Catherine Zeta-Jones to the stellar ensemble of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac and Julia Roberts.
Note to Editors:
Warner Bros. Pictures’ international financial results are reported on a November fiscal year basis. The box office figures are estimated for calendar year 2004, and include box office of $13 million generated by Warner Bros. films, distributed by Village Roadshow Pictures.
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