Box office revenue in cinemas in the US and Canada could exceed $ 9 billion by the end of 2025, reaching a new peak since 2019 - the last year before the coronavirus pandemic, CNBC reports, citing analysts.
„Year-to-date revenue is about 4% higher than last year, and if we can maintain this good momentum, this will be the best year for the film market since the beginning of the pandemic“, said Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore.
Macquarie analysts expect the first major fall premiere to be „Tron: Ares“, which will be released in theaters in North America this week. It will be followed by “Wicked: Forever and Ever“ and “Wicked: Forever and Ever“, as well as “Zootopia 2“, which analysts predict will generate at least $250 million in gross profit in the United States and Canada. And in December, audiences can expect the highest-grossing film of the year – “Avatar: Fire and Ashes“. The previous two films in the “Avatar“ series have earned more than $2 billion worldwide.
Analyst Eric Handler of Roth Capital Partners predicts that total box office revenue in the fourth quarter will reach $2.5 billion, which is 7% more than the same period last year. By the end of the year, ticket sales are expected to reach $9.1 billion, up 5% from 2024, according to the expert.
Handler believes that next year's box office revenue in the United States and Canada could be even higher thanks to a number of anticipated films, including the fifth film in the "Toy Story" series, the third film in the "Minions" series, the final film in the "Dune" trilogy, and two comic book movies: "Spider-Man: A New Day" and "Avengers: Doomsday."
Between 2009 and 2019, movie ticket sales in North America exceeded $10 billion annually, according to BoxOfficeMojo. In 2020, when movie theaters were closed for most of the year due to the pandemic, box office revenue plummeted to $2.1 billion, before gradually recovering.