Paramount: Fastest Ever to Reach $1 Billion Benchmark

Still wondering if Viacom/Paramount made the right decision to spend $1.6 billion to swoop in and buy DreamWorks after GE/Universal balked on the deal? (As DW's David Geffen reportedly said, "Dealing with G.E. is unpleasant and difficult under any circumstances...they were going to squeeze us and squeeze us. After a year of dealing with them they still did not have a finished contract ready to sign.") Well, consider these numbers. Fantasy Mogul's Steve Mason is reporting that sometime yesterday, Paramount passed $1 billion in domestic ticket sales in 2007, and he contends that July 9th is the earliest that any studio has hit that mark. It's a pretty stunning turn around, considering that Paramount has been bringing up the rear for the past four years (averaging sixth among Hollywood's major studios from 2002-2006), and has endured a period instability under talent manager-turned-studio head Brad Grey. From FM:

Paramount's incredible half-year has been powered by movies from the Dreamworks creative pipeline. As of today (July 9), here are where the biggest chunks of that magical billion are coming from.

1. Shrek the Third - $316.7M

2. Transformers - $155.4M

3. Blades of Glory - $118.1M

4. Norbit - $95.3M

5. Disturbia - $79.3M

6. Dreamgirls - $66.3M (the remainder of its $103.3M registered in 2006)

7. Shooter - $47M

8. Freedom Writers - $36.6M

9. Zodiac - $33M

10. Charlotte's Web - $30M (the remainder of its $82.6M in 2006)

Amazingly, the top 6 films are all from Dreamworks.

That December day when Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen signed on Grey's dotted line, it likely shifted the balance of power in Hollywood for many years to come.