2016 Was The Biggest Year Ever At The Box Office, So What's In Store For 2017?

Walt Disney Co DIS dominated a record-breaking year at the box office in 2016. Following the release of “Rogue One,” Disney became the first studio ever to reach the $7 billion mark in global box office sales in a single year. In fact, the top four grossing movies of the year in 2016 were all Disney movies.

However, investors are now looking ahead to 2017 and wondering if Disney will maintain its dominance. Here’s a preview of what each of the major studios have on the calendar in 2017.

Disney

Disney is hoping that a live-action “Beauty and the Beast” remake can rekindle some nostalgia from parents and generate some excitement among a new generation of children. Disney will also be looking to its Marvel franchise in 2017 to deliver some box office magic. “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” and “Thor: Ragnarok” will both be out this year. Disney will also be releasing a “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel and the highly-anticipated “Star Wars Episode VIII.”

Universal Studios

Comcast Corporation CMCSA’s Universal Studios will be looking to challenge Disney’s dominance in 2017 with a pair of popular franchise sequels in 2017 as well: “The Fate of the Furious” and “Despicable Me 3.” In addition, Universal will also be releasing the sequel to the hit “Fifty Shades of Grey”, called “Fifty Shades Darker” and the first installment of its new slate of monster movies with Tom Cruise starring in “The Mummy.”

Warner Bros

Time Warner Inc TWX shareholders also have a heavy-hitting lineup ahead in 2017. In addition to superhero action movies “Wonder Woman,” “Justice League” and “The LEGO Batman Movie” sequels, Warner Bros. is generating a lot of buzz surrounding its highly-anticipated “Blade Runner 2049.”