The Movie Business in 2025

Previous movie biz breakdowns: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019

Setting the table: We’ve already been to the movies twice this summer. Mission: Impossible (just okay) and Lilo & Stitch (big hit with the kids). We're a Jurassic Park family through and through. And if I’m lucky, I’ll convince Mrs. Screens to catch the new F1 movie with me.

Why this matters: Streaming is winning at home, but Hollywood’s still betting big on theaters. Summer 2025 is a test: Is moviegoing really back, or just riding on nostalgia and IP?

Five big questions re: the movie business:
1) How has the box office performed so far this year?
2) Has box office revenue returned to pre-pandemic levels?
3) What is driving the decline in box office revenue?
4) What are the biggest movie releases ever?
5) What genres generate the most box office revenue?

How has the box office performed so far this year?

Quick answer: Up 15% vs. last year, but still down 28% from 2019.

U.S. box office revenue (YoY growth) through June, according to Box Office Mojo:
1) 2019 - $5.7B
2) 2020 - $1.8B (↓ 68%)
3) 2021 - $1.0B (↓ 42%)
4) 2022 - $3.7B (↑ 250%)
5) 2023 - $4.4B (↑ 20%)
6) 2024 - $3.6B (↓ 19%)
7) 2025 - $4.1B (↑ 15%)

What it means: Moviegoers didn’t bounce back like they did for live sports or concerts. Hollywood lost the habit-forming magic of regular releases.

Has box office revenue returned to pre-pandemic levels?

Quick answer: Not yet. 2024 was still 24% below 2019.

U.S. box office revenue (YoY growth) according to Box Office Mojo:
1) 2015 - $11.1B  (↑ 7%)
2) 2016 - $11.4B  (↑ 2%)
3) 2017 - $11.1B  (↓ 3%)
4) 2018 - $11.9B  (↑ 7%)
5) 2019 - $11.3B  (↓ 5%)
6) 2020 - $2.1B (↓ 81%)
7) 2021 - $4.5B (↑ 113%)
8) 2022 - $7.4B (↑ 64%)
9) 2023 - $8.9B (↑ 21%)
10) 2024 - $8.6B (↓ 4%)

What is driving the decline in box office revenue?

Fewer tickets sold. A lot fewer.

U.S. movie tickets sold (% change) according to The Numbers:
1) 2004 - 1.5B
2) 2014 - 1.3B  (↓ 16%)
3) 2024 - 800M  (↓ 40%)

% change between 2019-24:
1) Tickets sold - ↓ 38%
2) Average ticket price - ↑ 23%
3) Box office revenue - ↓ 24%

Bottom line: Prices are rising, but audiences are shrinking even faster.

What are the biggest movie releases ever?

Top-grossing movies of all time according to Box Office Mojo:
1) Avatar (2009) - $2.9B
2) Avengers: Endgame (2019) - $2.8B
3) Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - $2.3B
4) Titanic (1997) - $2.3B
5) Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) - $2.1B
6) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - $2.1B
7) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - $1.9B
8) Ne Zha 2 - $1.9B
9) Inside Out 2 - $1.7B
10) Jurassic World (2015) - $1.7B

Wow: Ne Zha 2 earned just 1% of its box office in the U.S.

Mr. Screens’ Crystal Ball: Streaming will bring back genre diversity — horror, thrillers, rom-coms — while theaters stick to tentpoles and shared-universe events.

What genres generate the most box office revenue?

Box office revenue share for action movies according to The Numbers:
1) 2004 - 15%
2) 2014 - 29%
3) 2024 - 29%