North American theatrical revenue barely surpasses $9 billion; franchise tentpoles expected to drive 2026 recovery
The global theatrical market continued to struggle in 2025, falling short of its pre-COVID heyday. According to analysis from Comscore and Gower Street Analytics, North American box office revenue barely exceeded $9 billion, missing the post-pandemic high of approximately $9.1 billion set in 2023. This represents only marginal improvement over 2024's $8.8 billion, a year hampered by Hollywood strike-related production delays.
The summer 2025 season notably failed to reach $4 billion, standing in stark contrast to 2023's "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. A weak spring and underperforming tentpoles including Furiosa weighed on overall results.