UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, January 1, 2009 – Universal Pictures recorded its biggest year ever for the second year in a row with global theatrical grosses totaling $2.834 billion for 2008. Universal’s domestic box-office tally of $1.12 billion outpaced the record it previously set in 2007, which was $1.099 billion. Internationally, Universal shattered last year’s box-office mark of $1.034 billion, with a 2008 total of $1.714 billion, for an incredible year-over-year improvement of 66 percent. Celebrating the studio breaking its own records for the second year in a row, the announcement was made today by Marc Shmuger and David Linde, Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively, of Universal Pictures. All numbers are estimates, and final figures will be available on Monday, January 5, 2009. “If 2007 was a turnaround year for Universal, 2008 proved our studio’s ability to consistently deliver the highest quality commercial hits,” stated Shmuger and Linde. “To have two successive years of record-breaking success is an incredible achievement, and we thank our teams from around the world that produced, marketed and distributed a slate of films that, again, set a new standard for our studio. This year, we created new franchises, extended others, released the most successful movie musical in history and continued our tradition of turning modestly budgeted comedies into solid hits. Our strength of success comes from this diversity. We worked with some of the most interesting and inspiring filmmakers and talent working anywhere and released some of the years most critically acclaimed and rewarded films. We are proud to close out another year with historic success.”