Growth at the U.S. box office fueled the biggest year in history worldwide.


Global box office revenue for 2018 hit an all-time high of $41.7 billion, thanks to a hefty uptick of nearly 7 percent at the North American box office.


Domestic revenue came in at a record $11.9 billion, eclipsing the milestone set in 2016 ($11.4 billion) by 4 percent, Comscore announced Wednesday. Year-over-year, revenue was up 6.7 percent over the $11.1 billion collected in 2017.


In terms of the number of people going to the movies in 2018, attendance in North America is expected to be up 4 to 5 percent. An official statistic won't be available until the average ticket price for the fourth quarter is tallied.


Foreign box office revenue was $29.8 billion, a 1 percent uptick over 2017 ($29.5 billion). Part of the reason for the relatively static result is fluctuating currency exchange rates.


Globally, revenue was up 2.6 percent over 2017, when combined worldwide ticket sales landed at a then-record $40.6 billion.


This year marks one of the few times in recent memory that North America drove the growth spurt.


Disney, which is on the verge of acquiring 20th Century Fox, commanded more than 26 percent of domestic marketshare, and 17 percent of marketshare at the worldwide box office. Revenue from Disney releases hit a combined $7.3 billion globally, the second-biggest showing in history for any Hollywood studio behind the record $7.6 billion amassed by Disney in 2016.


Overall, a well-received crop of tentpoles and other event pics appealing to a diverse audience helped to fuel the boom. Top earners were Avengers: Infinity War ($2.048 billion) and Black Panther ($1.346 billion) — both from Disney/Marvel — Universal's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($1.304 billion) Disney/Pixar's Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion) and Sony's Venom ($855.2 million). Warner Bros.' Aquaman, hitting theaters in late December, will ultimately overtake Venom after earning $822.9 million through Jan. 1.