US Box Office Hits Over $9 Billion in 2023, Marking Post-Pandemic High

The domestic box office in the United States soared past $9 billion in 2023, marking the highest figure since the onset of the pandemic, as reported by Comscore. Despite a lukewarm fall season at the box office, a viral phenomenon dubbed “Barbenheimer” significantly contributed to this year’s impressive movie ticket sales. Notable films like Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” grossing approximately $636 million domestically, and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” with a box office intake of $326 million, played pivotal roles in this surge, according to Box Office Mojo.

Comscore’s estimates indicate that the total for 2023 will surpass $9 billion, with the recent box office numbers, led by “Wonka,” factored in. This achievement becomes even more noteworthy considering that the 2023 box office had 17 fewer wide-release films compared to 2019, making the numbers “all the more impressive,” according to Paul Dergarabedian, chief Comscore media analyst. Both “Wonka” and “Barbie” were distributed by Warner Bros., owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

Dergarabedian reflected on the industry’s tumultuous yet exciting year, where audiences enthusiastically embraced the moviegoing experience and diverse films, leading to unexpected hits and misses.

However, despite the impressive performance, the 2023 box office remains 20% lower than the 2019 earnings of $11.4 billion. The highlight of 2019 was “Avengers: Endgame,” which amassed $858.4 million in ticket sales.

In a stark contrast to the pandemic-ridden year of 2020, the domestic box office gross witnessed an almost 300% surge, as indicated by Comscore data.

Key contributors to the box office success included “Barbie,” which made history with $1 billion in ticket sales by early August, establishing Greta Gerwig as the first solo female director to achieve this milestone. The Barbenheimer phenomenon brought AMC Theaters, the world’s largest movie chain, its highest single-week admissions revenue since its founding in 1920, marking the busiest opening weekend since the pandemic-induced theater closures in 2020.

Notably, 2023 also saw Taylor Swift’s concert film, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” becoming the highest-grossing concert film domestically for an opening weekend, generating over $179 million at the box office as of January 2.

The spring release of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” added to the year’s box office success, achieving an impressive $1 billion at the global box office almost a month after its debut, becoming the 10th animated film in history to reach this milestone.