The mantra of “Survive ’til ’25” that was repeated in Hollywood through the production and box office slumps of last year has given way to results that are much more mixed than those who said those words might have hoped. This includes the summer box office, which despite much hype has finished with relatively the same domestic total as last year.
Comscore estimates that the final domestic total for the summer box office season — which runs from the first Friday of May through Labor Day — will be $3.67 billion. That’s 0.2% down from the total recorded in summer 2024, a season that yielded two $600 million-plus domestic/$1 billion-plus worldwide hits with “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” but suffered the worst May in more than 25 years due to strike-related delays.
May 2025 was a far better month thanks to a mix of strong holdover numbers from Warner Bros.’ “A Minecraft Movie” and “Sinners” and a record Memorial Day weekend thanks to Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” and Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch,” which became the summer’s sole $400 million-plus domestic/$1 billion worldwide grosser.
But in June, several films like Lionsgate’s “Ballerina” and Disney/Pixar’s “Elio” failed to cross $100 million in American theaters, leaving Universal/DreamWorks’ remake of “How to Train Your Dragon” as the sole $200 million-plus grosser. This was somewhat made up for with a flurry of hits in July such as Apple’s “F1” and DC Studios’ “Superman,” both released by Warner Bros., as well as Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth”
And while this past month closed out with some respectable results from Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Warner Bros./New Line’s “Weapons” and Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” there were no films that topped $600 million domestic like “Barbie” or “Top Gun: Maverick” in years past, nor were there any animated movies that crossed the $100 million for the first time since 1997.
Despite these mixed results, several major theater chains reported profits in the second quarter of the year, as the early summer combined with a strong April to boost revenue for companies like Cinemark, which had the second highest quarterly EBITDA in its history.
Many movie theater chains have made investments in auditorium refurbishments, expanded premium format options and a wider range of concessions, resulting in higher per patron spending even as the box office remains around 20% below pre-pandemic levels.
While the summer remained flat and the September and October box office is expected to be a slow period for theaters — last week Warner Bros. announced it was pushing this October’s “Mortal Kombat II” to next summer — 2025 should finish with a higher total than 2024 thanks to highly anticipated holiday titles like “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
