Seven of the record nine films released this year that are expected to end their run taking in $1bn-plus: Avengers: Endgame; The Lion King; Captain Marvel; Toy Story 4 Aladdin; Frozen 2 and Star Wars are all Disney films.
But it is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the last film in a franchise that started more than four decades ago, which will ultimately decide the fate of the British box office this year.
“We are truly witnessing a historic peak in terms of box office which may take years for any studio, including Disney, to replicate.”
New Marvel and Star Wars projects, such as the flagship $100m The Mandalorian TV series, have been commissioned specifically for streaming.