As 2025 crosses its halfway mark, the movie industry is taking stock of the box office performance, revealing a mixed picture of surprising hits, costly disappointments, and underperformers. While showing promising signs of recovery compared to the previous year, the market still faces challenges reaching pre-pandemic heights.
According to data cited by industry sources, ticket sales for the first six months of 2025 are up a solid 18% compared to the same period in 2024. This uptick is partly credited to a more diverse lineup of films that have found success, ranging from big-budget tentpoles and family-friendly fare to critically acclaimed features for adult audiences. However, despite this improvement, the overall box office remains significantly behind pre-COVID levels, still down 26% from 2019.
With six months of grosses now recorded, here’s a look at the films that soared, struggled, or landed somewhere in between.
The Year’s Biggest Box Office Hits
Several films defied expectations or capitalized perfectly on market trends to achieve significant success:
Lilo & Stitch: This live-action remake proved a true phenomenon, soaring past expectations with a global gross reaching $910 million and on track to cross the billion-dollar mark. What was initially considered for a streaming release became the year’s first undeniable blockbuster, fueled by powerful millennial nostalgia and strong family turnout. The film’s success has also dramatically boosted merchandise sales, which were already substantial. Tragically, the film’s success is marked by recent sad news: actor David Hekili Kenui Bell, known for his memorable appearance as the “Big Hawaiian Dude” or “shave ice guy” in the film, passed away in June at age 46. His contribution is remembered alongside the film’s monumental achievement.
Global Box Office: $910 million
Budget: $100 million
Sinners: Ryan Coogler’s R-rated Southern Gothic drama defied conventional wisdom for an original concept, grossing $363.8 million globally against a $90 million budget. Driven by exceptional word-of-mouth – its second weekend gross nearly matched its first – the film earned critical acclaim and showcased Michael B. Jordan’s drawing power. Sinners proves that unique, high-quality storytelling can still resonate strongly with audiences willing to take a chance on something new.
Global Box Office: $363.8 million
Budget: $90 million
A Minecraft Movie: Over a decade in the making, A Minecraft Movie finally arrived to massive success, pulling in $954.4 million worldwide from a $150 million budget. The film’s family-friendly appeal, coupled with stars like Jason Momoa and Jack Black and director Jared Hess’s comedic touch, broadened its appeal beyond the core gaming fanbase. Its near-billion-dollar haul highlights the growing strength of PG-rated, all-ages blockbusters and provided a crucial win for Warner Bros.
Global Box Office: $954.4 million
Budget: $150 million
Final Destination Bloodlines: The gorily creative horror franchise returned after a 14-year hiatus with Final Destination Bloodlines. The sixth entry, centered on elaborate death sequences, proved the series’ enduring commercial appeal, becoming its highest-grossing installment with $280 million globally against a modest $50 million budget. Strong reviews for the genre boosted its impressive performance.
Global Box Office: $280 million
Budget: $50 million
Materialists: Celine Song’s highly anticipated follow-up to Past Lives, Materialists, emerged as a rare arthouse success story. A24’s strategic marketing positioned the film as a glamorous romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans, leading to a strong $12 million opening – A24’s third-largest debut. With a $31.4 million global gross against a $20 million budget, plus significant online discussion and impressive box office legs, the film demonstrated that sophisticated adult dramas can still find an audience theatrically with the right approach.
Global Box Office: $31.4 million
Budget: $20 million
The success of films like Materialists, alongside other well-received projects aimed at adults such as The Phoenician Scheme and popular family animation like How to Train Your Dragon, underscore the importance of genre diversity in driving the current box office recovery.
The Year’s Costly Flops
Not every highly anticipated film managed to connect with audiences, leading to significant financial losses:
Snow White: Not every classic warrants a remake. Disney’s Snow White struggled mightily, earning only $205 million globally against a hefty $250 million budget. Plagued by a dated concept, creative hurdles, negative buzz, and poor reviews, the film proved to be a significant financial loss for the studio.
Global Box Office: $205 million
Budget: $250 million
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: Even Ethan Hunt couldn’t outrun basic economics. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning faced an unprecedented budget ballooning to over $400 million in production costs, plus more than $100 million for marketing, partly due to pandemic and strike-related delays. Despite a respectable global gross of $540.8 million, this figure wasn’t enough to recoup Paramount’s massive investment, making it a painful reminder of the financial risks associated with mega-budget blockbusters.
Global Box Office: $540.8 million
Budget: $400 million
Elio: Pixar faced a rare stumble with Elio, which unfortunately marked the studio’s worst opening weekend in its 30-year history, debuting with just $34.9 million globally against a $150 million budget. Unlike some past underperformers, lack of quality wasn’t the primary issue; instead, it highlighted the increasing difficulty original animated films face in attracting family audiences to theaters. While hopes remain for a potential rebound similar to 2023’s Elemental, Elio‘s opening underscores the significant challenges facing non-franchise animation releases.
Global Box Office: $34.9 million (Opening Weekend)
Budget: $150 million
Hurry Up Tomorrow: Musician The Weeknd’s foray into film continued to struggle with Hurry Up Tomorrow, a thriller tied to his album. Critics dismissed it as lacking substance, and moviegoers largely stayed away, resulting in a meager $7.6 million global gross against a $15 million budget. The film added to the artist’s challenging track record in Hollywood following the reception of his HBO series.
Global Box Office: $7.6 million
Budget: $15 million
The Alto Knights: A period gangster film starring Robert De Niro in dual roles, Barry Levinson’s The Alto Knights failed to connect with modern audiences. Despite a familiar genre and star power, the film felt like a relic of another era. With scathing reviews and a tiny $9.5 million global gross against a $45 million budget, it quickly sank into red ink for Warner Bros., proving that star power alone isn’t always enough to revive classic genres.
Global Box Office: $9.5 million
Budget: $45 million
Other notable disappointments include the expensive underperformance of Captain America: Brave New World.
Mixed Results and Underperformers (The “Meh”)
Some films didn’t outright flop but delivered results that were either disappointing relative to expectations, costs, or franchise goals:
Thunderbolts: While generally well-received by both critics and audiences, Marvel’s Thunderbolts landed in the “meh” category financially. Grossing $381 million globally against a $180 million budget, it fell short of the $400 million mark and stands as one of the lower-grossing entries in the highly successful MCU. Its performance suggests a potential ceiling for films centered on less iconic characters within the universe, posing a challenge for the franchise’s future expansion efforts.
Global Box Office: $381 million
Budget: $180 million
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina: Lionsgate’s attempt to expand the John Wick universe with the Ana de Armas-led spinoff, Ballerina, yielded only modest results. Despite a $100 million global gross, its $90 million budget meant a slim profit margin. Adding “From the World of John Wick” to the title wasn’t enough to fully engage the fanbase, highlighting the difficulty in extending the universe’s drawing power without its central star.
Global Box Office: $100 million
Budget: $90 million
Black Bag: Critically praised but commercially challenged, Steven Soderbergh’s sophisticated spy thriller Black Bag struggled to find a wide audience. With a $42.9 million global gross against a $50 million budget, it represents a financial loss for Focus Features. Its performance sadly reinforces the industry trend of shying away from adult-targeted, original dramas in favor of more commercially reliable adaptations.
Global Box Office: $42.9 million
Budget: $50 million
The Amateur: A throwback action-thriller starring Rami Malek, The Amateur felt more suited to streaming than theaters. While grossing $96 million globally against a $60 million budget, lukewarm reviews and a genre that thrives on home viewing platforms meant it didn’t break out theatrically, reinforcing the difficulty of bringing certain types of star-driven genre films to the big screen today.
Global Box Office: $96 million
Budget: $60 million
The Accountant 2: A sequel nobody seemed to be asking for, The Accountant 2, saw Ben Affleck return to the decade-old thriller. While backed by Amazon MGM Studios, which often views theatrical releases as marketing for Prime Video, its $102.1 million global gross against an $80 million budget delivered only lukewarm results, raising questions about the cost-effectiveness of this strategy for boosting streaming engagement.
Global Box Office: $102.1 million
Budget:* $80 million
As the second half of 2025 unfolds, the box office still holds promise with highly anticipated releases like Superman, Wicked: For Good, and Avatar: Fire & Ash on the horizon, aiming to keep the momentum going and potentially narrow the gap with pre-pandemic numbers further. The path to full recovery remains challenging, but the hits of the first half show that audiences are eager for compelling stories and big-screen experiences.
References
- variety.com
- <a href="https://www.imdb.com/news/ni65349886/?ref=nwcart_perm”>www.imdb.com
- www.nbcnews.com
- www.hawaiinewsnow.com
- abc7.com
