What difference a movie can make. Just after the closing of the worst single-month result in two and a half years this March, A MINECRAFT MOVIE opened April to heights the year hasn’t seen so far for a Hollywood release, changing the narrative and paving the way for the weeks and months to come.
The International (excluding China) and Domestic markets recorded the highest grossing month since December 2024 ($2.8bn) with an April total of $2.1 billion. That is +36% up on April last year and just -13% below the same month in 2023, when THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE hit big. The gap to the average of the last three pre-pandemic years (2017-2019) was -21%.
Adding the poor Chinese result in April, the Global box office generated $2.3 billion within the month. That increases the estimated worldwide cume to $10.8 billion after the first four months of the year. This is the highest total in that period since 2019 and tracks +10% ahead of 2024 and +2% up on 2023 at the same stage! However, it remains -20% (or $2.6 billion) behind the pre-pandemic three-year average.
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.
By far the highest grossing new release in April was the aforementioned A MINECRAFT MOVIE from Warner Bros. The family film generated over a third (36%) of the Global box office this month with approximately $831 million. It’s already the highest grossing US-movie since MOANA 2 ($1.06bn) last November, and the highest grossing live-action release since DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE ($1.34bn) in July last year.
Among the major global markets, the Domestic market had a stand-out performance in April. Its $878 million total was more than double the weak March result ($417m). This April also doubled the same month last year ($439m) and was just -4% behind the one in 2023. The gap against the three-year average was only -8%. This is the third best result of the past 12 months, on par with November and just behind August (+15%) and July (-4%) last year.
At the end of April the Domestic cume for the running year is at $2.3 billion. That is +10% above last year at the same time and -12% below the period in 2023. Due to the successful April the gap to the three-year average narrowed severely from -47% at the beginning of the month to -37% now.
The International box office (excluding China) didn’t reach the Domestic market’s heights in April. Even so it still had a good month, grossing $1.3 billion in April. This was down -27% on the pre-pandemic average for the month, but compared to April last year it was up +12% and -18% down against 2023.
Clearly disconnected from the upswing in most territories China had a catastrophic April with $164 million. This is the lowest grossing month since November 2022 ($78m). It’s further the fifth lowest grossing month in China since the cinemas properly re-opened in August 2020! The -73% gap to the pre-pandemic monthly average is the widest of all tracked markets this April. Last but not least, it was -47% below April last year and -59% behind 2023. The market suffered a lack of major releases; no title was even able to crack $40 million in April with NE ZHA 2 the #1 title for the fourth month in a row!
This second weak month in a row eats up the historic Chinese New Year / NE ZHA 2 credit. After being up on the three-year average by +72% at the end of February, this got down to +42% one month later and is just +18% now. Still, after four months in 2025 the Chinese box office cume is at an all-time high of $3.5 billion; +$1.2 billion ahead of the current Domestic cume.
April was a relief, delivering the first global blockbuster of the year with A MINECRAFT MOVIE as well as the first US break-out original hit with SINNERS. Complementary non-regular releases and/or so-called alternative content helped individual territories to boost their monthly result.
This resurgence of the Global box office in 2025 will continue in May. A denser, IP-driven, high profile and diverse schedule is on offer in May. THUNDERBOLTS* and strong holdovers opened the month and the summer season on a high.
The Global box office took its time to switch gears in 2025. Now it’s time to further accelerate.
