SONY HITS BOX OFFICE PINNACLE HANKS, BOND HELP STUDIO GROSS $3 BILLION.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer

Sony Pictures Entertainment set a box office record in 2006, grossing more than any studio ever has in a single year.

While the big movie hits of 2006 were spread around among the major studios, Sony had more of them than anybody else, earning more than $1.6 billion in domestic ticket sales, while worldwide grosses topped $3 billion for the first time.

Sony managed to top strong-performing Disney and a solid 20th Century Fox as well as Warner Bros., which was resurgent during the second half of the year.

Led by the religious drama ``The Da Vinci Code,'' Sony had a string of hits throughout 2006 that included ``Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby,'' ``Casino Royale,'' ``Click'' and 2005 holdover ``Fun With Dick and Jane.''

``They were due for a better year,'' entertainment industry analyst Hal Vogel said Wednesday. ``They hit it right in terms of the number of films they had, and `Da Vinci' did surprisingly well.''

Sony also had 13 of its 2006 releases open in the No. 1 position, including the current hit ``The Pursuit of Happyness'' starring Will Smith, ``When a Stranger Calls,'' ``Underworld: Evolution'' and the animated film ``Open Season.''

``To have a record-breaking year domestically is just an incredible feat,'' said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of domestic distribution. ``Finishing off the year on a high note with `Pursuit of Happyness' really kind of brings it all together. We couldn't be happier with our results.''

The studio's banner year was a dramatic turnaround from 2005, when its overall box office performance was so dismal that it finished in eighth place among major distributors.

``(Sony) had a great year, obviously, having set an industry record, and our hat is off to them,'' said Chuck Viane, Disney's distribution head. ``We were also very pleased to be where we are with the second-best year we've ever had (behind 2003).''

Disney's success

For Disney, having the two highest-grossing movies of the year propelled the studio to second place. ``Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' took in $423.3 million domestically. It is the sixth-highest-grossing movie ever and the first $400 million grosser in Disney's history. The Pixar Animation title ``Cars'' went on to gross $244 million after a lower-than-expected debut.

``Disney had a great year, and the acquisition of Pixar was the capstone to the whole thing,'' Vogel said. ```Pirates' was extraordinary and `Cars' proved to be very good, so Disney has nothing to complain about.''

Although no other Disney release in 2006 managed to cross the $100 million mark, several came close, with ``The Santa Clause 3'' currently at $82.4 million and early release ``Eight Below'' taking in $81.6 million.

Solid Fox showing

For Fox, there was the major success of ``X-Men: The Last Stand,'' which took in $234.4 million over the summer, while spring release ``Ice Age: The Meltdown'' was a big hit that managed to earn $195.4 million. Also connecting with audiences were surprise hits ``The Devil Wears Prada'' ($124.7 million) and ``Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,'' which has grossed $124.5 million to date and remains in the top 20.

Fox could end the year in third place overall but it currently has the No. 1 movie in the marketplace, ``Night at the Museum'' starring Ben Stiller. The comedy has earned $55.7 million after just five days in theaters.

``The general mix of films was quite good, attracting all people, all (moviegoing) quadrants,'' said Bruce Snyder, Fox's president of distribution.

The studio's year was also helped by 2005 holdover ``Walk the Line,'' which benefited from Academy Award nominations (and a Best Actress Oscar win for Reese Witherspoon) and took in a huge chunk of its $119 million gross during the first three months of 2006.

Warner strong finish

Until fall, when Warner Bros. scored big with ``Happy Feet'' ($160.5 million) and ``The Departed'' ($119.8 million), the venerable studio was looking to have a dismal year with the twin failures of summer releases ``Poseidon'' ($60 million) and ``Lady in the Water'' ($42.3 million).

``They had a good ending, but the spring and summer were awful, just a disaster,'' Vogel said. ``I've been following this business for a long time and I still don't understand how someone ended up making `Poseidon' because the management there is very astute and experienced.''

But ``Superman Returns'' performed to expectations and reinvigorated what had been a dormant franchise. With Brandon Routh now in the title role, the movie grossed $200 million domestically, and a sequel is planned.

Paramount a player

For Paramount Pictures, a fifth-place finish has to be considered a victory when compared with other recent years when the studio was an also-ran. The studio crossed the $100 million mark with both the animated ``Over the Hedge'' and the Tom Cruise action picture ``Mission: Impossible III.''

Still, the Cruise movie was considered to be a disappointment because it grossed far less than the franchise's previous installments.

But the musical ``Dreamgirls'' is expected to open 2007 in grand fashion for Paramount. It went into wide release Christmas Day and has grossed $15.4 million so far. The studio could also count as hits ``Failure to Launch'' ($88.7 million), ``Nacho Libre'' ($80.2 million) and ``World Trade Center'' ($70.3 million).

Universal did not have a banner year by any means, which is reflected in its sixth-place finish. While grosses from 2005 holdover ``King Kong'' ($218 million overall) helped, even that movie performed below expectations.

The studio's only other hits of note were the Vince Vaughn-Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy ``The Break-Up'' ($118.7 million), the Denzel Washington thriller ``Inside Man'' ($88.5 million) and the comedy ``You, Me and Dupree'' ($75 million).

``I would say it was a relatively disappointing year for them,'' Vogel said. ``It should have been better.''

Following Universal, according to market share compiled by Box Office Mojo, are, in order: Lionsgate, New Line, Weinstein Co., Fox Searchlight, Focus Features and MGM.

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) ``The Da Vinci Code,'' seen here in Shanghai, China, was a solid hit at the box office for Sony Pictures Entertainment, despite some grumbling by religious purists. This film and other popular movies grossed a record $3 billion worldwide for Sony this year.

China Photos/Getty Images

Box:

By the numbers

Source: Box Office Mojo

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