The four months of the summer season are swiftly gone. August closed it with a Global box office of $3.1 billion, the third highest grossing month of 2025. In the past two years massive July releases carried exceptional holdovers into August and defined the month. This year the holdovers were more modest. Instead, a breakout original with WEAPONS from Hollywood, a Japanese blockbuster spreading across Asia pacific with DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE and, finally, multiple Chinese releases that hit the mark shaped the Global box office this August. These kept it on par with the month’s box office last year and just -15% below 2023, mirroring roughly the performance of the summer season as a whole.
Summer Lovin’
The result for this year’s Global summer (May 1 to Aug. 31) is $11.9 billion. That is the 2nd best summer season since 2019, just behind the Barbenheimer summer of 2023 (-16%, $14.1bn). This is slightly ahead of 2024’s summer season (+1%, $11.7bn) and -15% below the three-year pre-pandemic average (2017-2019) for this season ($13.9bln).
The International market (excluding China) saw the best result, earning $6.3 billion. That is +4% up on last year ($6.1bn) and -7% below 2023 ($6.8bn). It is also only -9% below the pre-pandemic average for this period ($6.9bn).
The Domestic market is a bit behind International with $3.67 billion, although that is still marginally above last year (+1%, $3.64bn). It is -8% behind 2023 ($4bn) and -12% below the level of the 2017-2019 average for this period ($4.16bn).
The Chinese market had the weakest summer with only $1.9 billion. That is below the past two summer periods: -6% down on last year ($2bn) and -43% below 2023 ($3.3bn). More significantly it is -33% below the pre-pandemic average for this period ($2.9bn)!
On this month’s Global Box Office Tracker (GBOT, above), the stacked bar graph on the left shows total box office levels split out by the three key global markets: Domestic, China and International (excluding China). The pie chart indicates the current deficit compared to the average of the three pre-pandemic years (2017-2019) and where those losses are currently coming from. The bar graph on the bottom right displays the percentage drops globally.
After eight months the total Global box office is estimated to have reached $22.9 billion for 2025. That is +5% above the same period last year and -8% below the one in 2023. The Global cume is down -17% (or $4.8 billion) from the pre-pandemic three-year average. That has narrowed a bit from a peak of -20% at the end of April.
In China three local releases with a combined box office of nearly $600 million ruled August. The war drama DEAD TO RIGHTS, which opened at the end of July, led the trio, adding $276 million in August for a cume of $404 million at the end of the month. That also made DEAD TO RIGHTS the highest-grossing title globally in August. It was supported by animated hit NOBODY ($200m) and Jackie Chan action movie THE SHADOW’S EDGE ($122m).
Consequently, August was the 3rd highest grossing month in China of the past 12 with a total of $834 million. Only behind the CNY months, January (-6%) and February (-63%). This is the second highest August result of the past five years, just behind the record year 2023 (-23%). As August is historically the second highest grossing month of the year the gap to the pre-pandemic average was still -16%.
The very good result in August was not enough to avoid the Chinese year to date gap to the three-year average further widening from -5% to -7% within the month. A long way down from the peak of +72% at the end of February. China now has just the fourth-best value of the tracked Top 20 major markets after leading globally for the first five months of the year.
For Hollywood titles in August, the Global box office was led by Warner Bros’ horror hit WEAPONS which grossed $232 million. This was backed-up by Disney’s MCU holdover THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, adding $216 million for a cume of $505 million at the end of the month, and Universal’s animated THE BAD GUYS 2, taking $167 million in August.
Following them was Japan’s DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE which added $98 million in Japan and close to another $50 million from its August roll-out in other markets.
The Domestic market had a mixed August. It achieved $715 million. On one hand this is just -10% below the three-year average; the fifth best of the past 12 months. On the other hand, it was -22% behind the strong August of last year and -15% below the one of 2023. For the first time since March no title achieved more than $200 million within the month. The highest grossing title in August was WEAPONS with $133 million. That is marginally above last year’s August release IT ENDS WITH US ($131m), which ranked number two back then. The past two years the strong holdover of late July releases dominated August. Last year DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE grossed $313 million, and the prior year’s BARBIE got to $232 million. This year the late July holdover THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS just got to $106 million within August.
At the end of August the Domestic cume for the running year is at $6.0 billion. That is +4% above last year at the same time and -10% below the period in 2023. August was strong enough to narrow the the gap to the three-year average slightly from -25% at the beginning of the month to -24% now.
Outlook
Summer’s gone and Autumn’s to come. From a global perspective the current cumulated box office is in between the past two years at the same point in time. September tends to be the lowest grossing global month of the year. A usual calm month to take a breath between the hot summer that went by and the busy Q4 to come. This year September most likely won’t break records again, but it offers a solid slate with a chance of surprises.
Anime phenomenon DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE will roll out outside of Asia and the massive horror franchise THE CONJURING will release its final chapter. The Jordan Peele produced HIM is another promising original horror title, especially for the Domestic market. Catering to the female demographic Margot Robbie is back on theatrical screens for the first time since BARBIE with A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY. Meanwhile DOWNTON ABBEY will get its grand finale, pre-school franchise GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE will see its theatrical debut, and closing the month is the first collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and prestige director Paul Thomas Anderson: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER.
