Blu-ray studios lead 2006 box-office numberAlong the way,
Sony Pictures reached new heights, claiming 13 No. 1 releases and a domestic box office record of $1.698 billion.Second-ranked Disney ($1.5 billion) claimed the top two films of the year with "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($423 million) and "Cars" ($244 million).
20th Century Fox held steady at No. 3 ($1.4 billion) thanks to a solid string of films including "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Ice Age: The Meltdown" and "The Devil Wears Prada."
Meanwhile, 2005 market leader Warner Bros. Pictures, which arguably had one of the most anticipated slates of the year, tumbled to fourth ($1.1 billion), because of such misfires as "Poseidon," "Lady in the Water" and a disappointing "Superman Returns," even though the superhero's long-awaited return did climb above the $200 million mark domestically.
Paramount Pictures ($953 million) made some gains thanks to its acquisition of DreamWorks, which provided the studio's top-grossing movie, the animated film "Over the Hedge."
Universal Pictures ($796 million) also struggled -- not only did it lose longtime chief Stacey Snider to DreamWorks, but it propelled only one film, the romantic comedy "The Break-Up," into the $100 million club.
New Line Cinema ($252 million) and MGM ($171 million) brought up the rear, with only one movie between them -- the latter studio's "Rocky Balboa" -- cracking $50 million.
Sony made the most dramatic turnaround. After a dismal 2005 that saw only one $100 million-plus earner with the romantic comedy "Hitch," the studio installed a new marketing head in Valerie Van Galder and pushed its wide releases. The diligence paid off and the studio can now boast five $100 million-plus films, including the year-ender "The Pursuit of Happyness," which crossed the $100 million mark over New Year's weekend.
"We really had a great mix of pictures," said Jeff Blake, the studio's chairman of marketing and distribution. "We had the rare adult blockbuster with 'The Da Vinci Code,' the biggest Bond ever with 'Casino Royale,' two fantastic summer comedies in 'Click' and 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,' two successful animated films, 'Open Season' and 'Monster House' and we're topping off the year with 'Pursuit of Happyness.' Between Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Will Smith, Tom Hanks and the exciting new Bond in Daniel Craig, we had a great mix of talent."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070104/media_nm/studios_dc
