‘World War Z’ becomes Brad Pitt’s top-grossing film

Brad Pitt’s “World War Z” has become the actor’s highest-grossing film.

The apocalyptic thriller has earned more than $500 million worldwide, Paramount reports, making it Pitt’s biggest box office smash, topping his 2004 historical epic “Troy,” which racked up $497.3 million globally.

In the film, Pitt stars as a former U.N. worker forced to battle a plague of zombies and trace the origins of the disease wiping out mankind.

VIDEO: ‘World War Z’ trailer

With a summer rife with big-budget disasters (“The Lone Ranger,” “R.I.P.D.,” “After Earth,” “Pacific Rim”), “World War Z” proved to be a sturdy box-office draw.

Stateside the film has taken in $197.4 million, besting “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” as Pitt’s highest-grossing domestic release, and the film’s $66-million debut in June gave the actor his biggest opening weekend (also beating “Mr & Mrs. Smith”). Outside North America, “World War Z” has taken in $305.2 million in box office receipts, the studio said.

The success has Paramount brass breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

Before its June premiere, most of the ink given to the film — adapted from a 2006 novel — focused on its long, expensive haul to the big screen. Having been in the works since Pitt secured the rights in 2007, the movie was bogged down by extensive reshoots, a six-month delay to rework the final act and a budget that reportedly soared to around $190 million.

PHOTOS: ‘World War Z’

In his review of the movie, Times Film Critic Kenneth Turan noted the production difficulties and wrote, “ ‘World War Z’ plays a bit like a series of separate films and the juncture where the new final act was grafted on to the proceedings is unmistakable, but unless you knew about the film’s troubled past, you’d never guess it existed. Against considerable odds, the ability and professionalism of the cast and crew have carried the day.”