CNBC·2025-10-06 18:17Core Insights - The domestic box office is projected to exceed $9 billion in 2025, reaching a post-pandemic high due to a strong winter slate of films [1][3] - Year-to-date box office sales are approximately 4% higher than the previous year, indicating potential for the largest post-pandemic year for movies [2][3] Box Office Performance - As of now, the domestic box office has generated $6.5 billion in ticket sales, an increase from $6.3 billion last year [3] - The record to surpass for the full year is $9.05 billion, achieved in 2023 [3] Upcoming Releases and Expectations - Analysts predict that Disney's "Tron: Ares" will initiate a positive trend, followed by Universal's "Wicked: For Good" and Disney's "Zootopia 2," both expected to exceed $250 million in domestic sales [4] - The fourth quarter is anticipated to generate $2.5 billion in box office revenue, a 7% increase year-over-year, leading to an estimated total of nearly $9.1 billion for the year [4] - Macquarie forecasts an even higher fourth-quarter revenue of $2.7 billion, projecting a total of $9.2 billion for the year [5] Future Growth Projections - The box office is expected to continue growing in 2026, driven by upcoming blockbusters and popular intellectual properties such as "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," "Toy Story 5," and "Avengers: Doomsday" [5]