Repeat Viewers and Memberships Push U.S. Box Office Slightly Higher in 2025

Movie theaters in the United States and Canada sold an estimated $8.9 billion in tickets in 2025, a 2 percent increase from 2024, according to Comscore. The gain was driven in part by an 8 percent rise in so‑called habitual moviegoers — people who see at least six films in theaters a year — and growth in membership programs such as AMC Stubs A‑List, Regal Unlimited, Cinemark Movie Club and the revived MoviePass, Cinema United said.

Studios also landed a mix of surprises: a new franchise based on Minecraft, a revived Lilo & Stitch and some original and smaller films making the Top 20, including Sinners, F1: The Movie and Weapons. Year‑end releases such as Marty Supreme, The Housemaid and the animated David helped fuel a late surge.

But many dramas and comedies remain weak. High production and marketing costs have outpaced returns for several prestige films; one example is Ella McCay, which cost roughly $60 million to make and market and has earned about $4 million in North America since its December release.

Franchise fatigue is apparent: Avatar: Fire and Ice led the holiday box office but earned $242.1 million since Dec. 19, down 24 percent from its predecessor’s comparable haul. Other franchise tentpoles, including Jurassic World and parts of the Marvel universe, have also softened, contributing to a yearly total roughly 22 percent below prepandemic levels.

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Business, United States, Box Office, Movie Theaters, Hollywood, Streaming, Franchises