Buena Vista Emerges as the No. 1 Distributor for 1998 With Three of the Top Ten Films and a $1.1 Billion Cume.

BURBANK, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Jan. 4, 1999--As the industry box office soared to record heights in 1998, Buena Vista was the box office winner for the year (1/5/98 - 1/3/99) with cumulative gross revenues of $1.109 billion, or 16 percent of the U.S. market, it was announced Monday by Phil Barlow, president of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

This marks the fourth time in the last five years that Buena Vista has landed in the No. 1 spot at the box office. It also represents the fourth time in the last five years that it has crossed the $1 billion annual gross revenues mark. With this latest box office milestone, Buena Vista has the distinction of having been either the No. 1 or No. 2 distributor for every year of this decade.

Among Buena Vista's box office achievements in 1998, it had three of the 10 top-grossing films for the year. Leading the pace-setting performance was Touchstone Pictures' and Jerry Bruckheimer's meteoric hit "Armageddon," the year's top-grossing film and the only domestic release to reach the $200 million plateau.

The film has also proven to be one of the year's biggest box office releases in the overseas market, and its worldwide gross is on target to cross the $500 million plateau. Another Touchstone release, "The Waterboy," created tidal waves at the domestic box office with its $150 million gross (to date), and ranks as one of the all-time most successful comedies.

Disney feature animation continues to be a worldwide phenomenon with the studio's two acclaimed 1998 releases proving to be blockbusters all over the world. Disney's elegant and exciting "Mulan" collected a domestic gross of $121 million, and is expected to approach a cumulative gross of $300 million by the end of its worldwide run.

"A Bug's Life," the latest computer-animated wonder from Disney and Pixar, is still going strong in its domestic run with a gross to date of $136.4 million. It has also proven to be a runaway hit overseas and has outperformed "Toy Story" in its international release to date.

Touchstone Pictures' action-packed drama "Enemy of the State" is similarly proving to be a hit all over the globe. Its domestic gross currently stands at $97 million, and it will become the fifth film released by Buena Vista in 1998 to cross the $100 million plateau. Other top performers on Buena Vista's 1998 slate include "The Horse Whisperer," which has grossed $109 million internationally, and "Six Days, Seven Nights."

Commenting on the announcement, Barlow said: "We are very proud to be the industry's box office leader. This accomplishment is particularly satisfying given the intense level of competition and the record revenues at the box office. The holiday season proved to be an especially healthy one for Buena Vista and for moviegoing in general."

Richard Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, added: "We are enormously pleased that many of our films proved to be so popular at the box office. From animation to comedy to action-adventure, Buena Vista had something to appeal to a wide range of moviegoers."

Joe Roth, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, said: "Disney's association with producer Jerry Bruckheimer continues to be one of the most successful in the industry as the most recent blockbusters `Armageddon' and `Enemy of the State' have shown.

"We are also grateful to Adam Sandler and director Frank Coraci for delivering one of the funniest and most successful comedies of all time. Disney continues to be the leader in both traditional animation and, with our partners at Pixar, computer animation as well."