With a record $11.4 billion in domestic box office revenue reported by Comscore for 2016, the continued relevance and viability of the theatrical experience remains unquestioned. To wit, 28 films eclipsed the $100 million mark in total revenue in 2016 vs. 27 in the previous year, while eight films earned more than $100 million in their opening weekend in 2016 vs. six such debuts in 2015.
Disney had a particularly impressive year boasting six films among the Top 10 highest grossing films of the year, including the top three films, all of which earned in excess of $400 million.
A wide assortment of movies from every major studio on the blockbuster side of the ledger and an auspicious crop of smaller scale films brought enthusiastic patrons to movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada throughout the year, giving the industry its biggest overall revenue in North American box office history.
Hollywood built a wild roller-coaster ride at the multiplex in 2016, with films from every genre sparking interest from a very vocal and engaged social media-savvy audience. Forgetful fish, super-heroes and space travelers led the charge in a year that was marked by an incredibly diverse selection of films from every genre and of every size and scope from all the studios. This sparked an extraordinary level of enthusiasm by patrons who flocked to state-of-the-art movie theaters around the globe.
The good news is that 2017 is currently running 6% ahead of 2016 and has the potential to become the first-ever $12 billion dollar North American box office year ever.
For more box office insights and to learn more about how audiences are consuming media content today, download the Comscore 2017 U.S. Cross-Platform Future in Focus report.