The theatrical box office ended 2025 with a 2% increase in domestic box office over 2024 totals. It was a modest financial improvement for an inconclusive and inconsistent year at the North American box office. The results offer theatre owners both a way forward and notable causes for concern.
On the positive side, exhibitors were savvier in programming specialty titles to fill “empty spaces” in the release calendar. Examples of this included showtimes for Netflix’s streaming hit KPOP DEMON HUNTERS and Taylor Swift’s RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL. The year wound up with a must-seen two day screening of the finale of Netflix’s STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5, which reportedly brought in more than $25 million during its screenings on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day screenings. These event at the cinema provided much-needed box office and concessions sales to fill in around major releases. Theatres will look to double down on these successes during 2026.
On the other hand, 2025 featured its share of major franchise releases, some of which struggled to turn out audiences. Some of these soft spots were Marvel’s THUNDERBOLTS and FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, Pixar’s ELIO, Paramount’s MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING, and Lionsgate’s BALLERINA. They contributed to the lowest-attended summer for moviegoing in over 40 years. Audiences appear to be more discerning than ever, as evidenced by excellent data from EntTelligence, which reported a 5% decline in attendance in 2025. Hollywood will need to turn out fresher new movies and inventive new ways to draw audiences.
