Paramount Pictures International (PPI) hit the $1bn mark at the international box office on June 14, making it the first studio to reach the figure internationally this year.

PPI hit the mark six weeks faster than it did in 2007, thanks to blockbuster summer films, chiefly Iron Man and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

Iron Man, Paramount's first release with Marvel Studios, kick-started the summer season on May 2 and has gone on to generate $210m for PPI territories and $250m in total internationally.

It is the highest-grossing comic book superhero movie outside of the Spider-Man franchise.

The fourth instalment of Indiana Jones opened May 22 and has since generated more than $350m from international markets and has yet to open in Japan, another major market, which will launch the title this weekend (June 21).

Crystal Skull exceeded the lifetime gross of the franchise's previous best international performer, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade ($277m) in just two weeks.

And DreamWorks animation Kung Fu Panda has seen great success for PPI in the early stages of its release - the film took more than $20m from just nine territories in its opening weekend and currently boasts a $41m international tally.

It has yet to open in major markets such as Australia, UK, Germany, Brazil, France, Spain, Japan and Italy.

In addition to these tent-pole releases, PPI enjoyed a solid first quarter of the year with The Spiderwick Chronicles ($91m), Cloverfield ($90.5m) and No Country For Old Men ($86m).

Andrew Cripps, president of PPI, said: 'This achievement is testament to the continued growth of the international marketplace, the fantastic films that we have for international distribution, and the first class team we have working for PPI around the world.'

The distributor still has more to come this year with the continued rollout of Kung Fu Panda, and the launch of UK coming-of-age comedy Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging on July 25.

Autumn sees the release of Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder and thriller Eagle Eye starring Billy Bob Thornton in addition to Ricky Gervais comedy Ghost Town.