Exclusive: Dolby Cinema hits record as more moviegoers choose premium
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Dolby Cinema topped $203 million from the 2025 domestic box office and is pacing for another record year as its tech expands to more cinemas, executives exclusively tell Axios.
Why it matters: More audiences are choosing higher-quality theater experiences as studios and exhibitors look to revive moviegoing.
The latest: EVO Entertainment plans to add Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to its premium large format auditoriums, starting with 17 screens across Texas, New Mexico and Florida.
- Dolby Laboratories, the publicly traded company that manufactures audio and imaging tech, announced the integration Wednesday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
By the numbers: Dolby's domestic box office revenue has grown 26% since 2022, according to financial data shared with Axios.
- From Jan. 1 to April 6 this year, Dolby generated $46 million, up 62% year-over-year, according to the company. Comparatively, the overall domestic box office is $2 billion, up 23% year-over-year, per Comscore.
- Dolby averages $1.1 million per screen domestically, among the highest in the premium large format, according to data from Comscore and Omdia.
- Premium formats now account for roughly 15% of the domestic box office, up from 10% pre-pandemic, according to Omdia, and represent an outsized share of opening weekend revenue.
The big picture: Premium formats have boosted the theater business with higher ticket prices and increased attendance. Competitor IMAX reported record revenue with $1.28 billion grossed from the 2025 global box office.
- Dolby says locations with its format delivered a 24% year-over-year box office lift for the complex from 2022 to 2024, compared to an 8% baseline.
- "There's a lot of things that kind of stacked up against us as an industry, and we are pulling our way out of it," says Jed Harmsen, vice president and general manager of cinema and group entertainment at Dolby Laboratories.
- "I think we have a real positive outlook and opportunity. We just have to deliver on that differentiation," Harmsen adds.
Zoom in: Younger generations' preference for communal experiences, including moviegoing, is inspiring confidence among the theater industry, Harmsen says.
- A 2025 NRG report found 59% of Gen Alpha respondents said they enjoy watching movies in theaters more than at home, more than any other demographic.
- When asked about preferred experiences, premium large format was the most popular, with about 65% of Gen Alpha respondents.
Zoom out: Filmmakers are increasingly creating for premium formats.
- Dolby says the vast majority of top films now support its technology, including all 30 of the top grossing domestic films in 2025.
- "What we hear all the time is that the Vision and Atmos experience is the closest thing that they had in their mind of what they want their film to look like," Harmsen says.
Yes, but: Theaters should not operate on premium alone, Harmsen says.
- "There's something really magical about theatrical, communal experiences in and of themselves," Harmsen says. "For the health of the industry, I don't want that to turn to, 'Well, if I can't see it in Dolby, then I'm better off not seeing it.'"
What's next: Dolby is expanding domestically and internationally. Its partnership with AMC Theatres plans to grow to more than 200 locations in the coming years.
- New Dolby Vision+Atmos auditoriums have opened across Asia in recent months, including MixC Cinemas in China, Showtime Cinemas in Taiwan, Megabox in South Korea and Major Cineplex in Thailand.
- Additional locations are opening soon with Shin Kong Cinemas in Taiwan and Galaxy Cinemas in Vietnam.
