US box office enjoys second record-breaking year

To infinity and beyond … Avatar, released next week, could help push US box-office receipts over the $10bn mark

It's only the start of December in a year blighted by the worldwide economic downturn, but the US box-office record has already been smashed for the second year in a row.

Thanks to blockbuster sequels such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, as well as Pixar's latest, Up, cinemagoers have spent more than $9.61bn (£5.89bn) this year, just beating last year's record-breaking haul of $9.59bn, according to Variety.

With the Christmas session still ahead, it's likely that the US box office will top $10bn for the first time. The figures bear out experts' predictions that cinemas would continue to prosper in difficult financial periods. Despite rising ticket prices, filmgoing is still a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment.

Transformers, Michael Bay's raucous tale of rampaging giant robots battling for supremacy over a battered Earth, is the biggest film of the year to date, having taken $402m. Next up is Harry Potter, with $301m. The big surprise of the year, however, is the remarkable success of Up, which has so far made $283m. The Pixar film looks set to secure a place in the top five movies of the year, despite featuring an octogenarian pensioner as its main character and not being part of a franchise.

The 2009 top five is at this point rounded out by zany stag-do comedy The Hangover and JJ Abrams's sci-fi reboot Star Trek, which have grossed $277m and $257m respectively. But both are likely to slip down the chart in the coming weeks.

New Moon, director Chris Weitz's latest in the franchise based on Stephenie Meyers' bestselling teen vampire novels, should climb into the top five next week – its total currently stands at $255m.

Meanwhile, James Cameron's 3D epic Avatar debuts on 18 December, with high hopes of becoming the year's biggest film. Cameron's last feature, Titanic, released in 1997, is still the highest grossing movie of all time.

Source: Guardian Online