At the top of the summer, Hollywood was optimistic that several promising blockbusters were able to propel sales sales over $ 4 billion for the second time since the pandemic. But as the season ends at its end, it is clear that the national box office will not cost this noble reference.
The overall income from May 1 to August 24 reached $ 3.53 billion, according to Comscore. The popcorn season is generally the most profitable period for cinema, income regularly representing around 40% of the annual box office. But sales of interior tickets have only exceeded the figure of $ 4 billion only once since the lens, during the glory days of “Barbenheimer” in 2023.
Disney “Lilo & Stitch” is the most profitable film in summer with $ 421 million in North America and $ 1.03 billion worldwide. This is the only release in 2025 of a Hollywood studio to cross $ 1 billion. Other light points were “Jurassic World Rebirth” with $ 844 million, “How to Train Your Dragon” with $ 626 million, “Superman” with $ 604 million, “F1: The Movie” with $ 603 million, plus the indie “weapons” of A24 with $ 85 million and Zach Cregger “Weapons” with $ 199 million to date.
But these box office victories were not sufficient to compensate for a number of underperformative tents, such as “Thunderbolts *” ($ 382 million) and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (471 million dollars), including no “Elio” by Pixar (150 million dollars), “M3pan:” Mingle: “Mingle: ($ 39 million). In the case of the last “Mission: Impossible”, the budget of $ 400 million in the film makes it a major loser of money despite its big crude. Composing these disappointments, the season lacked a feeling on the run on the size and scale of “Inside Out 2” of 2024 (1.69 billion dollars), “Barbie” of 2023 (1.44 billion dollars) or “Top Gun: Maverick” of 2022 (1.49 billion dollars).
“On paper, 2025 boasted of one of the strongest slates of summer films,” said Paul Dergarabedian, main analyst of the Comscore. “What was not considered is that the ecosystem of the summer film is very fragile; there is no margin of error. August this year is when things really slowed down. And without delay in July like” Deadpool & Wolverine “from last year.”
This year’s income managed to improve the transport of $ 3.52 billion from last summer, led by “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool and Wolverine”, as well as the total of $ 3.41 billion in 2022, anchored by “Top Gun: Maverick”. But ticket sales have not yet returned to pre-countryic heights, such as the generosity of $ 4.38 billion in 2019, according to Comscore.
“With a single film that strikes $ 1 billion in the world, it is clear that Hollywood still needs to tinker in terms of public re-engagement worldwide,” explains Jeff Bock, box office analyst with relations with exhibitors. “Start with a blow, finish with a blow – that’s how summer cinema should pass on with the public. It did not happen this summer, and the results speak for themselves.”
Global fortune could take some time to bounce back during the rest of the year. This is because the fall film lacks a sure success. However, Hollywood relies on the strength in number with a multitude of September outings to come such as “The Conjuring: Last Rites”, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Final”, the sports thriller “Him” and Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo Dicaprio on budget “A battle after another”. Then there is the suite of science fiction “Tron: Ares” and the adaptation of the video game “Mortak Kombat II” in October. But unless a sleeping blow, business should not start again until “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2” open around Thanksgiving.
“August, September and October are the slowest months of the cinematographic year,” explains David A. Gross who directs the Cinematographic Consulting Company Franchise Entertainment Research. “The box office of the year 2025 should continue to win in 2024, but it will be at a slow pace.”
