The 2025 box office comeback that wasn't
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The 2025 North American box office fell short of the $9 billion analysts projected heading into the year, thanks to underperforming sequels and superhero movies that led to an especially weak summer and fall season.
Why it matters: Domestic entertainment tends to do well amid inflation and economic uncertainty, as people pull back from pricier international travel. But while concerts and theme parks boomed in the U.S. this year, theaters struggled — signaling the box office business faces unique challenges.
By the numbers: The domestic box office brought in roughly $8.6 billion last year, slightly above 2024's haul but down 3% from 2023 and down significantly (27% and 24%) from pre-pandemic highs of $11.9 billion and $11.4 billion in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
- As was the case in 2024, PG-rated films dominated ticket sales, with family-friendly animation attracting larger group sales compared to dramas, horror and gorier action films.
- 2025's top performer domestically was "A Minecraft Movie," setting records in April as the biggest box office debut for a video game adaptation.
- Disney's "Zootopia 2," which released around Thanksgiving, saw the highest global animated box office opening of all time and the biggest global debut of 2025. It is now Disney Animation's highest grossing movie ever, having crossed $1.46 billion at the global box office.
Between the lines: Despite a few hits like "Lilo & Stitch" and "Superman," a sluggish summer and fall dragged down overall results.
- The domestic summer box office, which extends from May to Labor Day, brought in roughly $3.67 billion in sales this year, per Comscore, marking one of the worst summer showings in decades — excluding the pandemic.
Yes, but: IMAX is up, on track for its biggest year yet with $1.2 billion revenue from hits like "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and "Ne Zha 2."
- "A lot of the movies were filmed for IMAX this year," IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said at Media Trends Live, noting the "fantastic" slate included "F1," "Mission Impossible" and "Sinners.
- Gelfond added that IMAX has been gaining market share post-pandemic as moviegoers seek more premium experiences.
Zoom out: The weaker overall turnout, combined with ongoing studio consolidation, has Hollywood heavyweights worried about the future of domestic film production.
- Actors and unions have spoken out against a pending sale of Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming assets to Netflix, arguing consolidation would mean fewer distribution options for creators and the death of theaters.
- Netflix executives say they will keep releasing Warner Bros. films in theaters if a deal goes through. But the theater industry is skeptical that traditional theatrical windows will survive long term, which the box office relies on.
What to watch: President Trump has twice threatened to impose a 100% tariff on foreign-made movies this year. But Hollywood lobbyists say the threat feels empty, as historically services have been impossible to tax.
- Still, policymakers have responded to Trump's tariff threat with some positive momentum for movie producers. California Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a major expansion of the state's film and television tax credit program to help preserve jobs.
