Universal Pictures, home of the most famous monsters in filmland, hit a record global box office tally of $2.834 billion in 2008, thanks to various features including Toronto-lensed "The Incredible Hulk".
Having released a previous film based on the Marvel comic book character five years before, Universal reintroduced the character and, by emphasizing the action and heroism of the franchise, outperformed that 2003 release and invigorated the franchise with the potential for future installments.
"The Incredible Hulk" crossed the $100 million mark at the international box office as well.
The unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal, said its domestic box-office tally of $1.12 billion outpaced its previous 2007 record of $1.099 billion, while its international box-office surged 66 percent to $1.714 billion from $1.034 billion in 2007.
Universal said it released four films that grossed more than $100 million domestically, including "The Incredible Hulk", "Wanted", "Mamma Mia!" and Montreal-shot "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor".
Three comedies, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", "Baby Mama" and "Role Models" were also profitable, grossing more than $60 million apiece, the studio said.
"Mamma Mia!" was the studio's biggest earner of 2008, earning $144 million domestically and $428.5 million internationally...
