Walt Disney Studios crosses $4-billion mark at global box office

Walt Disney Studios announced Thursday it has crossed the $4-billion mark at the global box office, beating its previous studio record by about six weeks.

As of Oct. 7, the studio has collected $1.4 billion in the U.S. and Canada and $2.575 billion internationally. This is the third consecutive year the studio has surpassed the $4-billion box office milestone.

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“2015 has been a record-setting year both domestically and internationally thanks to a strong slate of films from all of our brands,” Dave Hollis, Disney’s head of distribution, said in a statement. “With an incredible pipeline of both original stories and anticipated sequels featuring our most beloved characters, we are set to deliver some fantastic movies well into the future.”

The news comes on the heels of successful summer films such as “Inside Out,” from Disney’s Pixar division, which has made more than $800 million globally. It is the No. 3 film of the year domestically.

Disney also propelled past $4 billion with help from Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,”which has made $458.9 million domestically and $946 million internationally, and “Cinderella,” which collected $201.1 million domestic and $341.4 million internationally.

Disney’s J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Wars” installment, which hits theaters Dec. 18, is still on deck. It was ranked the most anticipated movie of 2015, according to a Fandango survey.

In its announcement, Disney also outlined its release schedule for upcoming films in the coming years.

“Cars 3” will hit theaters June 16, 2017. “Toy Story 4” is pushed back a year from June 16, 2017 to June 15, 2018. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” will hit theaters July 6, 2018. “Captain Marvel” is moved to March 8, 2019 from its original Nov. 2, 2018 spot. “The Incredibles 2” is now slated for June 21, 2019.

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