Summer 2009 Breaks Record For Highest US Gross

SEPT 5, 2009 - For the US, it's the highest-grossing summer on record.

- Summer 2009’s total gross stands at over US$4.2 billion through Sept. 3, the highest ever. It is the third summer in a row to exceed US$4 billion.

- In terms of estimated attendance, however, Summer 2009 was no record breaker. Summer 2002 is still tops on this front, followed by 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 1998 and 2001.

- While no movie was as monumental as ‘The Dark Knight’ from last year, ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is on the verge of hitting US$400 million and ranks as the 9th highest-grossing picture of all time.

- The ‘Transformers’ sequel and many other movies were in line with reasonable expectations, but the breakout success of Summer 2009 was ‘The Hangover.’ With US$270.7 million and counting, the ribald comedy became the highest-grossing picture of its sub-genre and has nearly matched the final tally of ‘There’s Something About Mary’ adjusted for ticket price inflation. The ‘Star Trek’ re-launch also excelled by becoming the top picture of its franchise, adjusted for ticket price inflation.

- The comedy genre ran the gamut from the successes of ‘The Hangover’ and ‘The Proposal’ to the season’s bigger failures: ‘Land of the Lost,’ ‘Year One,’ ‘Bruno’ and ‘Funny People.’ The industry had high hopes based on these movies’ high profile release dates, but many may have been blinded by the big name talent involved: each picture was fundamentally flawed in terms of audience appeal, mining material that has disappointed time and again in the past.

Here are the Top-Grossing Movies of Summer 2009 (as of Sept. 3) in terms of Rank. Movie Title (Distributor) / Total Gross in Millions

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount) / US$399.6

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.) / US$295.1

3. Up (Disney) / US$289.9

4. The Hangover (Warner Bros.) / US$270.7

5. Star Trek (Paramount) / US$256.8