{"id":488388,"date":"2026-01-03T01:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/488388\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T01:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:50:10","slug":"global-box-office-2025-report-hollywood-studio-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/488388\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Box Office 2025 Report: Hollywood Studio Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe global box office in 2025 is estimated to close out at $33.5B, per Gower Street Analytics, repping a nearly 12% increase on 2024, but that\u2019s including a unique phenomenon in China where one local production did over $2B. Strip out China, and the global hike is about 8%, much better than the roughly 11% decrease we saw<\/a> from the end of 2023 through 2024. The international box office,\u00a0sans\u00a0China, is forecast at $17.2B, also a 12% jump over last year. With China factored in, overseas is looking at $24.6B (+16%).<\/p>\n

\n\tIn general, when we sum up 2025, there\u2019s good and not-so-hot news at the global and international box office but also optimism amid some uncertainty on the horizon. Windows remain a talking point \u2014 particularly amid a potential acquisition of a legacy studio by a streamer<\/a> \u2014 as does volume and the shifting of moviegoing habits. And, though they may seem way in the past, the 2023 strikes also ended up impacting 2025 and the sequencing of when films could be finished. The year ahead should help to mitigate more of the impact.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne international distribution executive characterized 2025 as \u201ca little disappointing\u201d but also noted: \u201cI think you can look forward to \u201926 with some optimism that things are going to turn around. \u2026 Everybody measures this industry against 2019, which was pre-Covid, but that was also the all-time record year. Certainly at some point we\u2019ll get back to those box office levels, just through inflation and more premium screens and currency. But I don\u2019t know if we ever get back to those admission levels, just because I think consumer habits might have changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: 2025 Moviegoer Attendance Hits 780M, -5% From \u201924; Majority Went To Cinemas During Pics\u2019 First 30 Days Of Release<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tLike every year, there were ups and downs in 2025, but it\u2019s clear that there is still an audience for a theatrical event and the continuation of beloved franchises. The year started off slowly for Hollywood, with the first real breakout, Warner Bros\u2019\u00a0A Minecraft Movie, catapulting us into the spring. It was followed by Disney<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Lilo & Stitch,\u00a0which became the first billion-dollar movie for the studios in 2025, with 59.2% of business from overseas. Just last month, Disney\u2019s\u00a0Zootopia 2<\/a>\u00a0exceeded that film as Dis reached an estimated $6.58B worldwide<\/a> ($4.08B from the international space). That\u2019s the biggest year for any studio since 2019. Also contributing, 20th Century\u2019s\u00a0Avatar: Fire and Ash\u00a0will cross $1B this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tSee below for the global\/international studio rankings chart.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter\u00a0Minecraft\u00a0got the ball rolling, Paramount\u2019s\u00a0Mission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning\u00a0did 67% of its nearly $600M global business in offshore markets \u2014 making it the No. 9 title on the overseas chart \u2014 and played at the same time as\u00a0Lilo & Stitch. Then Universal returned to\u00a0How to Train Your Dragon\u00a0(58.7% from overseas) and\u00a0Jurassic World\u00a0with\u00a0Rebirth\u00a0(61% internationally), and Apple\u2019s\u00a0F1\u00a0(via WB) roared with 70% of its haul from offshore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: Deadline\u2019s Critics Pick Their Top 10 Films Of 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tJapan got a jolt in midsummer with\u00a0Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba \u2013 Infinity Castle,\u00a0which carried into the fall as the movie released in markets outside Asia via Sony and Crunchyroll and including domestic, ultimately landing in the Top 10 worldwide. The early autumn, arguably apart from WB\u2019s\u00a0The Conjuring: Last Rites, was somewhat quiet, but things ramped up again with Universal\u2019s\u00a0Wicked: For Good, followed by\u00a0Zoo 2\u00a0and\u00a0Avatar.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s worth noting that there also were a number of bright spots for WB with titles including Final Destination Bloodlines,\u00a0One Battle After Another,\u00a0Sinners\u00a0and\u00a0Weapons. Although the latter two were bigger domestic plays, the studio reached nearly $4.4B on just 11 titles versus 20 the previous year.<\/p>\n

\t\tInternational Swings<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tChina, still the top overseas market, was heavily weighted by one movie:\u00a0Ne Zha 2<\/a>. The animated sensation released locally in late January and went on to become the highest-grossing title in the market\u2019s history at 15.44B RMB ($2.2B+) as well as the biggest movie of the year worldwide and the No. 5 movie ever globally.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: The 25 Highest-Grossing Animated Films Of All Time At The Global Box Office<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tChina\u2019s final box office for 2025 is estimated at roughly 51.8B RMB ($7.4B), per Maoyan, a more than 20% increase on 2024, though nearly 30% of grosses were from just that one film. Most agree that the market struggled in 2025, getting a boost of adrenaline from Disney\u2019s\u00a0Zootopia 2\u00a0in November, with Maoyan noting repeat viewings and \u201cfan engagement and loyalty.\u201d While Hollywood doesn\u2019t really expect China to return to the pre-pandemic heyday,\u00a0Zootopia\u00a0demonstrated that audiences will turn out for event films and franchises for which they have an affinity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLocal midrange Chinese films saw a notable decline in numbers, \u201cunderscoring the market\u2019s increasing concentration on blockbuster projects,\u201d Maoyan said. However, the traditional \u201cblockbuster model is no longer a guaranteed formula for box office success,\u201d it cautioned.<\/p>\n

\n\tOf the Top 10 international markets, Japan, at No. 2, was a standout with a roughly 35% increase over 2024 in local currency and up 33% in U.S. dollars, according to comScore figures through December 28. This was amid the success of\u00a0Demon Slayer,\u00a0Kokuho, the latest\u00a0Detective Conan,\u00a0Chainsaw Man \u2014 The Movie: Reze Arc\u00a0and\u00a0Zootopia 2.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: From James Gray, Ruben \u00d6stlund & Pawe\u0142 Pawlikowski To I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s Tom Cruise-Starrer, \u2018Cliff Booth\u2019 & Judith Godr\u00e8che\u2019s Directorial Debut: 79 Films That Could Light Up Festivals In 202<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIndeed, anime really spread its wings in 2025, including\u00a0Demon Slayer\u00a0and\u00a0Chainsaw Man. This is a growing medium that is expanding globally and resonates with an underserved audience while also drawing new customers \u2014 there was so much heat around these movies that they became must-sees in all regions.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the UK, the No. 3 market internationally,\u00a0Uni\u2019s\u00a0Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy\u00a0was huge, becoming the No. 3 movie of the year there with about $63M, whereas it went straight to Peacock in the U.S. It was a smart bet to release it theatrically overseas, particularly in the UK. Overall, the market essentially was flat with 2024, up a slight 2% in U.S. dollars.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt No. 4 on the international chart,\u00a0France\u2019s cinema admissions<\/a>\u00a0dropped 13.6% year-on-year in 2025, for a rough gross of $1.36B, according to figures released by\u00a0France\u2019s National Cinema Center. A lack of local drivers compared to last year was part of the issue.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: Casting Conundrums: From Bond To Voldemort, Doctor Who To \u2018White Lotus\u2019, The Biggest Movie & TV Roles To Be Filled In 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAnd the No. 5 market, Germany, was up 6% in local currency (+10% in U.S. dollars). Whereas 2024\u2019s Top 5 movies were Hollywood titles, the No. 1 movie in the market in 2025, per comScore, was\u00a0Das Kanu des Manitu\u00a0(Manitou\u2019s Canoe).<\/p>\n

\t\tWindows<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAlthough it has improved to a degree, France still has a fairly arcane windowing system. But globally, windows are on everyone\u2019s minds, an issue which Deadline\u2019s Anthony D\u2019Alessandro already has written about\u00a0extensively.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tInternationally, some execs contend that it\u2019s not always a one-size-fits-all approach because habits are different in myriad overseas markets. Said one: \u201cHabits, good or bad, can change within weeks, and when they do, they can settle in as the new normal. The new windowing patterns have changed\u00a0the audience\u2019s habit from going to \u2018The Movies\u2019 to going to \u2018A Movie.\u2019 International markets have had varying degrees of impact from this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso stressed by an international exec is that the impact of shorter, inconsistent windowing ultimately is what has negatively changed audience moviegoing habits, putting the impetus on every movie to create a cultural moment. If, for whatever reason, audiences don\u2019t go to the cinema on opening weekend, their mindset shifts, focusing on the conveniences of home viewing with the assumption that the movie will be imminently available, doing so with little knowledge of when each movie actually will be available outside cinemas.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: 2026 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Guilds, Grammys, Tonys & More<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tYet another international distribution maven said: \u201cWindowing has always been a hot button in the industry, but windowing is not a bad thing. \u2026 Part of the issue is that the intense competition has increased the price of content. So how do you maximize the gross? And when we talk about windows, what we don\u2019t do adequately is talk about what the consumer wants. \u2026 We have to make those decisions in a way that\u2019s smart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne person, however, took issue with exhibition already accepting Netflix movies on a condensed run. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why a lot of these exhibitors around the world are playing Netflix content on these short windows. Windows are important to protect the theatrical experience, and they need to think about the long-term health of the business. I don\u2019t think you can have it both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tProblem Areas<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAsia remains a concern for the studios, with some markets losing per-capita moviegoing and Korea notably suffering amid lots of in-home competition from local series. In 2024, four of the Top 5 films in the market were local, while in 2025, only one was Korean.<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere in Asia, local product tends to be working better \u2014 think Indonesia and its horror titles. For Hollywood, however, we\u2019re told that some markets are still off more than 50% from 2019. Said an international distribution exec: \u201cWe had a region that was in consistent growth for years, and then as soon as we came out of the pandemic, it went backwards fairly quickly. \u2026 Local-market audience tastes have changed. They\u2019ve leaned into local filmmaking, which makes sense as those are relatable local stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: Horror Movies\u2019 Next Wave: What\u2019s Coming In 2026, From Auteur Nightmares To Indie Breakouts<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe studios and local exhibition are working together to try and reverse this downward trend as everyone is striving toward a healthier overall market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tFinal Thoughts<\/strong>\t<\/p>\n

\n\tSome folks wonder about continuing to leverage popular IP in a surprising way. It\u2019s key to deliver content that is relevant but also to take swings. When it comes to international, it can be a challenge to have product that resonates across a multitude of markets. Choice and more volume also are necessary, as are the collaboration between studios and exhibitors and spreading out the calendar.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs noted above, audiences still come out for the big blockbusters, but there were some disappointments, particularly for superhero films. 2025 was the first year since 2020 that the Top 10 worldwide chart did not include a Marvel title. WB\/DC\u2019s\u00a0Superman\u00a0did rank No. 10 but skewed heavily domestic. Upcoming this year, there\u2019s plenty of reason to hope\u00a0Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u00a0and\u00a0Avengers: Doomsday\u00a0will perform strongly around the world.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlthough it\u2019s expensive and logistically challenging, we saw more talent travel internationally in 2025, and that can pay dividends as it brings the audience in on the experience and drives awareness and want-to-see.<\/p>\n

\n\tAn annual refrain in the post-pandemic years has been that the industry could do a better job of spreading some of the wealth across 12 months so there are no significant fallow periods.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: 35 Of The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWhile there\u2019s a lot of content in summer, 2026\u2019s Q1 does look better leveled out including Sony\u2019s\u00a028 Years Later: The Bone Temple\u00a0and Amazon MGM\u2019s\u00a0Mercy\u00a0in January; WB\u2019s\u00a0Wuthering Heights,Sony\u2019s\u00a0GOAT\u00a0and Paramount\u2019s\u00a0Scream 7\u00a0in February; then Amazon MGM\u2019s Ryan Gosling starrer\u00a0Project Hail Mary\u00a0and Disney\u2019s\u00a0Hoppers\u00a0in March.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe rest of the year is well-stacked.<\/p>\n

\n\tLook for Universal\/Illumination\u2019s\u00a0The Super Mario Galaxy Movie\u00a0and Lionsgate\u2019s\u00a0Michael\u00a0(which Universal has internationally) to light up April; followed by Disney\u2019s\u00a0The Devil Wears Prada 2\u00a0and\u00a0Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu\u00a0in May. The next month marks the return of Steven Spielberg with\u00a0Disclosure Day\u00a0from Uni, then Dis\/Pixar\u2019s\u00a0Toy Story 5\u00a0and WB\/DC\u2019s\u00a0Supergirl. July trots out Uni\/Illumination\u2019s\u00a0Minions 3, then Dis\u2019 live-action\u00a0Moana\u00a0and Christopher Nolan\u2019s\u00a0The Odyssey\u00a0from Uni \u2014 and at the end of the month, Spidey swings in with\u00a0Brand New Day\u00a0from Sony\/Marvel. August gets Par\u2019s\u00a0PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie\u00a0and Blumhouse\/Sony\u2019s\u00a0Insidious: The Bleeding World. September brings a new\u00a0Resident Evil\u00a0from Sony and WB\u2019s\u00a0Practical Magic 2. In October, Tom Cruise no doubt will be out in support of Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s\u00a0Digger\u00a0from WB. November rhymes in with WB\u2019s\u00a0The Cat in the Hat, then Lionsgate\u2019s\u00a0The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping\u00a0and Par\u2019s\u00a0Focker-In-Law. The year closes out with Sony\u2019s\u00a0Jumanji 3, WB\/Legendary\u2019s\u00a0Dune: Part Three\u00a0and Disney\/Marvel\u2019s\u00a0Avengers: Doomsday\u00a0in December.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd that\u2019s just the major titles \u2014 there\u2019s a lot to look forward to from Hollywood in 26. Happy new year, indeed!<\/p>\n

\n\t
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