According to The Hollywood Reporter, on the heels of the better-than-anticipated debut of Fantastic Four and thanks largely to the stellar performance of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, 20th Century Fox will surpass $1 billion in annual domestic boxoffice gross for the first time in its history and is on track to do so in near-record time.

"We are totally thrilled about hitting $1 billion this year,"

said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution.

"We had several great partners that helped us get there."

At slightly past the halfway point of the year and heading into the weekend, Fox has amassed about $971 million in its boxoffice coffers. The distributor should be cresting the $1 billion level by Sunday or Monday -- the second-earliest point at which that milestone has been reached. Sony set the speed record in 2002, shooting past the $1 billion mark July 11 on its way to $1.57 billion, a record that still stands.