The studio reached the mark in less than five months to beat its own speed record by 10 days.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (pictured) has been one of the key early drivers for 2012, grossing $257m of its $357m total this year, while Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has amassed $222m and Wrath Of The Titans $218.3m.

Dark Shadows opened day-and-date with North America in select territories last weekend havand thus far has taken $37.3m with many markets yet to open. Overall earnings from all releases in 3D venues have reached $324m.

Still to come in 2012 are The Dark Knight Rises, Rock Of Ages and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

“Our success thus far this year would not be possible without the ingenuity of our filmmakers, and the hard work and dedication of our teams around the world,” president of international distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg said.

“These remarkable results demonstrate the continued strength of the international business, particularly in rapidly expanding overseas markets and in 3D.”

Warner Bros Pictures International has been the market leader in six of the previous 11 years. The studio has crossed $1bn billion at the international box office 15 times, with four of those years exceeding $2bn, including last year when it reached $2.87bn.