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Box Office 2025 Ends Below $9 Billion as Theaters Confront Volatility and Streaming Pressure

Industry estimates put the year near $8.87 billion, signaling a fragile recovery that heightens concerns over shifting release windows and consolidation.

Overview

  • Comscore-based estimates place 2025’s domestic total around $8.87 billion, up about 1% from 2024 yet roughly 21% under 2019’s $11.3 billion.
  • An uneven calendar produced sharp swings, including a 27-year-low October at $429 million after a weak first quarter despite spring and summer rebounds.
  • Eleven titles surpassed $200 million domestically and in-year leaders included A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Stitch, but no film cleared $600 million domestic within 2025.
  • Franchise dependability faltered as several Marvel releases underperformed, even as hits like Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire and Ash and Warner Bros.’ Sinners helped sustain traffic.
  • Anxieties intensified with Netflix’s bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and questions about theatrical windows, as exhibitors leaned on premium formats like IMAX and eyed a fuller 2026 slate projected at about 115 wide releases.