Warner Bros No. 1 at the box office in '09

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. movies made more than $2 billion at the box office so far in 2009, positioning it to be the year's top earning studio, The Hollywood Reporter said.

"Breaking through a barrier like the $2 billion market -- that really makes a statement that I'm proud to be a part of," Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said. "It just doesn't happen that easily. You really need to have a terrific schedule of great movies, as we have under film group president Jeff Robinov."

Among the studio's 2009 releases were "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "The Hangover," "Invictus," "The Blind Side" and "Sherlock Holmes."

Paramount is poised to come in at No. 2 for the year with $1.44 billion and Sony at No. 3 with $1.43 billion, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.

However, Fox, which has made $1.25 billion so far, is still racking up receipts for its holiday blockbusters "Avatar" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" and could unseat one of the studios in second or third place when the box office year ends Sunday.

Disney is poised to take the No. 5 slot with $1.18 billion, followed by Universal at No. 6 with $862 million, The Hollywood Reporter said.