Summer 2009 Breaks Highest Grossing Domestic Box Office Record

Summer 2009 has beat every summer movie going season before it to become the highest grossing summer at the domestic box office ever. According to Variety, the box office revenue throughout Sunday has been calculated at $4.17 billion. That is compared to the summer of 2007, which was the previous record holder with $4.16 billion. The Labor Day weekend should add another $100 million to that estimate, which finds summer 2009 up three percent in total grosses.

The three films that helped lead this amazing new record were Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($399.4 million), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($294.3 million), and Disney/Pixar's Up ($289.6 million). The grosses were also helped by surprise hits such as The Hangover, which brought in an unexpected $270.2 million, and The Proposal, which pulled in a hefty $160.2 million.

Other films that helped the season flourish were Star Trek, which took in an unprecedented $256.7 million, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which still managed to make $179 million even after a much publicized leak on the Internet. Family films Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($193.3 million) and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ($176.5 million) also gave summer 2009 the upper hand.

The Top Ten Summer Box Office Movies:

1) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - $399.4 million
2) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - $294.3 million
3) Up - $289.6 million
4) The Hangover - $270.2 million
5) Star Trek - $256.7 million
6) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - $193.3 million
7) X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $179 million
8) {FINkVWQPhgisRS|+|Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian- $176.5 million
9) The Proposal - $160 million
10) Angels & Demons - $133.2 million

(Look for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra to take over the number ten spot this weekend, when it will surely over take Angels & Demons with its grosses already at $132.2 million.)