Warner Bros. Pictures International Becomes First Studio To Cross $2 Billion Mark In Grosses For A Single Year

(December 9, 2004 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Pictures International has become the first studio to surpass $2 billion at the overseas boxoffice, breaking industry records for any single year. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of Distribution, and Sue Kroll, President of Marketing, for Warner Bros. Pictures International. “We are thrilled to be able to make this announcement, which says great things about the quality and variety of movies that Warner Bros. Pictures has offered audiences this year. We see this as the result of a series of successful strategies and meticulous positioning of our films, as well as tremendous teamwork and cooperation from everyone involved in our organization,” said Kroll and Kwan-Rubinek in a joint statement. “A $2 billion year clearly defines us as the industry leaders in international motion picture marketing and distribution; we are very proud.” The year was marked by a series of blockbusters, beginning with “The Last Samurai,” which opened in late 2003 in Japan and went on to earn $344 million in the international market, three times its domestic gross. “The Last Samurai” became the 6th highest international grosser for Warner Bros. Pictures, and the third highest-grossing “R”-rated film. It was followed by “Something’s Gotta Give,” which earned an international gross of $142 million, an exceptional number for an American romantic comedy. “Troy,” which opened in late spring, tallied $364 million at the overseas boxoffice, making it the 5th highest international grosser for the Studio and second highest-grossing “R” rated film. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” which opened during the summer, grossed $539 million and became the eighth-highest grossing picture in the industry, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures’ third-highest grosser. Most recently, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement,” a co-production by Warner Bros. France, Tapioca Films and TF1 Films Productions, starring Audrey Tautou, has already grossed $36 million, which made it the biggest-opening French film of the year to date. And “The Polar Express” has opened in many territories and has already earned $29 million, with indications that it will play strongly through the holiday season. Also opening today is “Ocean’s Twelve,” which reunites the stellar cast of the worldwide hit “Ocean’s 11” and adds Catherine Zeta-Jones to the mix. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie will open in territories around the world in December. Warner Bros. Pictures International has set new company records four years in a row, and has been the industry leader in international marketing and distribution three out of the last four years. In the first six months of 2004, Warner Bros. Pictures International had nearly twice the gross of its nearest competing studio. At present, six Warner Bros. Pictures titles are among the 25 top-grossing movies of all time; these include the first three Harry Potter movies, the second Matrix movie, “Troy” and “The Last Samurai.” And, since 2000, 18 Warner Bros. Pictures films have earned more than $100 million in the international market. Concluded Kwan-Rubinek and Kroll, “We look forward to another wonderful year in 2005, when we will have ‘Batman Begins,’ ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’ among other outstanding films, to bring to audiences around the world.” # # #