From 2000 to 2019, with four exceptions, every subsequent year's worldwide total box office was higher than the previous year. The combined total earnings of every theatrical release makes up the worldwide total box office, a figure that was $13.8 billion in 2000 and $39.1 billion in 2019.
Coming off a year where the Marvel Cinematic Universe had its climax, the Star Wars saga concluded and an international feature won Best Picture at the Oscars, 2020 had a tall task to follow up 2019 financially. What was already a long shot was made an impossibility when the film industry shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The worldwide total box office limped to a measly $8.6 billion, a far cry from even 20 years prior.
In the years since, spectacles have graced the big screen from all the massive franchises — Marvel, Fast & Furious, Jurassic World, Avatar — and yet, the numbers have been unable to reach the heights of pre-pandemic Hollywood. In 2021, the worldwide total box office was $19.5 billion, which was a solid bounce back. However, in 2025, five years removed from the pandemic’s beginning, the figure only amounted to $27.5 billion.
Has COVID-19 slowed down the production of movies in Hollywood by that much? No, 2025 saw 3,500 movies theatrically released (compared to 2019’s 3,400 movies).
If not that, then the price of a movie ticket surely skyrocketed? In 2019, the average price of a movie ticket in the United States was $9.16. Five years later, in 2024, this number had increased $1.62 to an average ticket price of $10.78. A definite increase, but not one that constitutes this far of a drop off in the worldwide total box office.
All signs point to streaming services as the main cause of theaters and the box office struggling in recent years. Netflix was the only streaming service in the game for years. This was until November of 2019, when Disney+ was released, with HBO Max soon to follow in May of 2020 and Paramount Plus in May of 2021.
At the most convenient time for all these streaming services to hit the market, they flooded the industry. With people shut in and theaters closed indefinitely, films were pushed to streaming and streaming exclusives began to be produced. Once theaters reopened, theatrical runs were shortened, and the incentive to go out to the movies and pay for an increasingly expensive movie ticket was lessened because the movie would be on streaming in just a few weeks anyway.
Now, with turmoil in the streaming industry as studios continue to be bought and sold, it seems like 2026 is the year that movies are finally back … in the financial sense. With the summer now over (and you’d think the big blockbusters out of the way) the final tally for worldwide total box office is threatening even 2019. As of Aug. 22, the count stands at $19.8 billion with only 1,800 theatrical releases so far. Even with roughly half as many films released as 2019 or 2025, this year is looking like it will be a return to form for the box office.
Why 2026? What sets it apart from the most recent years for film? The movie theater is becoming an escape from solitude again. It’s not something about the films just being better this year. Every year, including 2026, has critically-acclaimed masterpieces, popcorn flicks and bottom-of-the-barrel garbage. Rather, going to the theater is a social event again.
This is in part due to some movies being major cinematic events, such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Project Hail Mary, The Odyssey and Obsession all raking in millions to billions of dollars. Cultural phenomena films with widespread popularity exist every year, but not to the degree of impact we are seeing this year. There is a calm to watching a movie on a streaming service at home. Not having to worry about the ticket and concession prices, travel to the theater and risk of sitting next to an unpleasant individual. Furthermore, streaming has a place in being able to watch a film long after its release date. However, there is something to be said about uniting with family, friends or strangers to experience cinema together.
It has been over five years since these types of social interactions were first deemed unsafe. In that time, many of us became used to the experience of watching a new release at home. This, along with movie theater trips becoming a hit to the wallet, made me less inclined to go out of my way to see a film on the big screen. I am not going to go as far as to quote the cringe-inducing Nicole Kidman advertisement that plays in AMC theaters, but, it does feel better to be at a theater seeing the movie as it was intended to be displayed.
The 2026 box office shows no clear signs of slowing down. While the summer blockbuster window might be over, the awards circuit is ramping up and holiday season releases are fast approaching. Perhaps “Dunesday” is the theater event that causes 2026 to finally beat 2019’s worldwide total box office record. The big screen feels big again, and the theater feels like a trip worth taking.
Brayden Rogers is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a columnist for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at brogers@cornellsun.com.
