Huge Box-Office Gross Doesn't Equal Huge Profit

In 2008, Paramount has hit $1 billion faster than any other studio in any given year. In fact, the top three grossers so far are all distributed by Paramount.

Fastest to $1 billion as of 25 June 2008: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/fasteststudios.htm

2008 Grosses as of 25 June: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2008&p=.htm

Iron Man: $305+ million
Indiana Jones 4: $291+ million
Kung Fu Panda: $158+ million
Cloverfield: $80+ million
The Spiderwick Chronicles: $71+ million
Drillbit Taylor: $32+ million
The Ruins: $17+ million
The Love Guru: $15+ million

Iron Man was funded and is owned outright by Marvel Studios. Paramount is just getting a distribution fee plus whatever it spent on prints and advertising.

Paramount paid for Indiana Jones 4, but Lucasfilm owns the movie. The studio is just getting a distribution fee plus whatever it spent on production costs, prints, and advertising.

Kung Fu Panda was funded and is owned outright by DreamWorks Animation, which was not bought by Paramount in its acquisition of DreamWorks (the live-action unit). Paramount is just getting a distribution fee plus whatever it spent on prints and advertising.

Paramount's take from Cloverfield will be heavily reduced by gross points going to J.J. Abrams. (The same goes for the upcoming Star Trek movie with Abrams at the helm, on which--for the first time in the history of the franchise--Paramount is splitting production costs with outside partners, thereby again severely limiting profitability for the studio.)

This means that Paramount is seeing serious money only from The Spiderwick Chronicles. The other movies are all bombs, especially the expensive The Love Guru, for which Mike Meyers undoubtedly has huge gross points.