Box Office Milestone: 'World War Z' Becomes Brad Pitt's Top-Grossing Film

Paramount's zombie extravaganza has earned $502.6 million worldwide.

Brad Pitt is celebrating his most successful film to date at the global box office, not accounting for inflation.

Over the weekend, the worldwide total for his zombie tentpole World War Z grew to $502.6 million, surpassing the $497.3 million earned by historical epic Troy.

From Paramount and Skydance Productions, World War Z is one of the summer's few success stories. The movie has grossed $197.4 million domestically (also a best for Pitt) and $305.2 million at the foreign box office.

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In the movie, Pitt plays an ex-United Nations investigator who traverses the globe in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale also star.

Marc Forster directed World War Z, which is based on Max Brooks' novel. The movie was a passion project for Pitt, who produced alongside Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Ian Bryce.

By all accounts, the tentpole overcame substantial hurdles, including a lengthy delay in releasing the movie after the final act needed to be reworked.