Blockbusters propel 2015's box office to a record $11bn

Los Angeles — It's been a record-breaking, $11bn year at the movies.

Box office tracker Rentrak said on Tuesday that the industry has already reached the benchmark and is expected to end the year with an unprecedented $11.1bn in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada.

The previous record of $10.9bn was set in 2013.

This year heralded numerous record-breaking releases, including Fifty Shades of Grey, which set a record for February opening-weekend attendance, and Furious 7 did the same in April. Opening in June, Jurassic World scored the biggest debut weekend ever, until it was bested this month by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

"Hollywood built the perfect box office beast in 2015, with one hit movie after the next," said Rentrak analyst Paul Dergarabedian in a statement.