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Ticket sales rose 26% from last summer, driven by Gen-Z audiences, filmmaker-led originals, and record IMAX revenue
Hollywood's summer box office generated $4.6 billion in domestic ticket sales between May 1 and Aug. 31, the strongest summer performance since 2013, according to measurement firm Rentrak, according to Reuters.
That figure marks a 26% increase from last summer, according to the Associated Press. The all-time inflation-adjusted summer record of $6.8 billion was set in 2013. Rentrak head of marketplace trends Paul Dergarabedian said the domestic box office could reach $10 billion for the full year — a threshold not crossed since 2019.
Filmmaker-driven projects, rather than established franchises, powered much of the resurgence. Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is approaching $1.6 billion worldwide, according to the AP. Two horror films made by 20-something YouTubers also outperformed expectations: A24's "Backrooms," helmed by 21-year-old Kane Parsons, brought in $394.1 million at the worldwide box office against a $10 million budget, while Focus Features' "Obsession," the work of 26-year-old Curry Barker and produced for under $1 million, topped $500 million globally, according to the AP.
