This Labor Day weekend, “Seabiscuit,” starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper, became Universal Pictures’ fourth summer release to reach $100 million at the domestic box office. One of the most highly-acclaimed films of the year, the Gary Ross adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s best selling book took in $9.1 million over the four days, resulting in a cumulative total of $104. 6 million. Universal’s previous three $100+ million summer releases were: “Bruce Almighty,” which has grossed $241.0 million at the domestic box office to date; “2 Fast 2 Furious,” which has grossed $126.8 million to date; and “The Hulk,” which has grossed $131.8 million to date.
Nikki Rocco, Universal Pictures President of Distribution, said, “This has been an extraordinary summer for Universal, but it is particularly thrilling and immensely gratifying for all us to see a classy and beautifully-made film like ‘Seabiscuit’ reach this milestone. And believe me, there’s a lot of life still in it.”
“American Wedding,” the final chapter of the “American Pie” series, took in $4.8 million over the weekend, with a cumulative total of $97.7 million, and is poised to become Universal’s fifth summer film to pass $100 million, which will mark the first time that any studio has had five summer releases pass the $100 million mark at the domestic box office.
Having achieved its all-time best domestic summer box office total of $729.5 million this year, Universal Pictures has amassed $754.8 million so far this year at the domestic box office to date, crossing the $750 million mark earlier than any other time in the studio’s history.
