Disney has eight of the top ten movies of 2019 and captured 80% of the box office this year. This unprecedented dominance is striking and unusual, but it marks a shift in high powered, conglomerate filmmaking that could be the future of cinema.
The year was dominated by Avengers: Endgame, but outside of that Disney also put forward Lion King, Captain Marvel, Aladdin, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Frozen 2, Toy Story 4, and lots of other titles that inspired people to head out to theaters.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker managed to edge out Jordan Peele’s acclaimed Us, which grossed $175.05 million at the box office domestically earlier this year. That now gives Disney the number 10 spot this year. Avengers: Endgame ($858.3 million), The Lion King ($543.6 million), Toy Story 4($434 million), Captain Marvel ($426.8 million), Spider-Man: Far From Home($390.5 million), Frozen II ($374.2 million) and Aladdin ($355.5 million) also sit in the top ten, all of which were produced by Disney. The only non-Disney movies to crack the top 10 in North America this year were Joker ($333.3 million) and IT Chapter Two ($211.5 million). It’s worth mentioning that both of those titles were produced by Warner Bros.
Disney’s dominance is historic.
