2025 is the year 'the movie magic machine cranked back up again.' Here's when theaters expect a box-office rally.

Hollywood looks poised for a rebound at the box office in 2025.

Five years after a pandemic kept audiences at home, and nearly two years after dual strikes significantly cut the number of movies hitting theaters (with many going straight to streaming), 2025 could be the year that shines a brighter light on the silver screen.

“We've certainly as an industry now got the movie magic machine cranked back up again,” Mike Bowers, president and CEO of Harkins Theatres, which has 32 theater locations across four states, told Yahoo Entertainment. “I’m very excited to see that.”

In 2025, 110 movies will each open in wide release in more than 2,000 theaters, 15 more than in 2024 and the most since before the pandemic, according to ComScore.

Total releases in the theaters have also increased year over year since 2021. According to the market research firm Mintel, 85% of moviegoing respondents surveyed in North America say they plan to go to the theaters as often or more often than they have in the last 12 months.

While box-office totals may be behind those of pre-pandemic years, including $11.9 billion in 2018 and $11.4 billion in 2019, the growth in moviegoing is palpable.

Hollywood is making an effort to court theatergoers back into its armchairs. Studios are releasing more films widely in theaters for audiences to enjoy vs. straight-to-streaming. Cinemas are investing in convenient upgrades and fun fan experiences (“Glicked” cosplay and cool popcorn buckets, anyone?). Its stars are also making the case that movies need to be seen on a big screen.

“You see all the studios really settling in and recognizing what the theatrical movie experience means to the culture and the country, but also just to their bottom line and to their business,” Bowers said.

Puck’s Scott Mendelson, however, noted the slow bounce-back of post-pandemic moviegoing compared to other “out-of-home” entertainment options like Broadway, concerts and sporting events. He noted the “obvious culprits” that have plagued the industry over the past five years include “the push-to-streaming, consolidation, the dual labor strikes” — and the couch.

“Viewers can now approximate much of what is available in theaters at home,” Mendelson wrote. “And when theatrical windows have gotten shorter across the board, why pay movie theater prices and spend movie theater time when you can wait three to six weeks and watch the same movie at home for the price of one or two movie tickets?”

But with the box office projected to rise about 8% ahead of 2024 and fan favorites like Jurassic Park, Avatar and the second Wicked film flying into theaters, the shakiness of the beginning of 2025 looks to move soon into a full-fledged sprint.

So when is this year’s real box-office rebound expected?

Disney’s Lilo & Stitch arrives in theaters on May 23, alongside Tom Cruise in the latest Mission Impossible film, and expectations are especially high to kick off summer.

“Starting on Memorial Day weekend, I think you're going to see a very exciting rally at the box office,” Daniel Loria, senior vice president of the showtimes, data and analytics service the Boxoffice Company, told Yahoo Entertainment.

Here’s what’s different about 2025.

More movies in the pipeline

There are simply more movies coming out in 2025, and theaters are thrilled to have the supply.

“You're not dealing with production delays the way that you were,” Jordan Hohman, vice president of project development at Phoenix Theaters, told Yahoo Entertainment, referring to fallout from COVID and the strikes. “You're not dealing with the shortage of supply.

“We're not like a restaurant. You can't go somewhere else to get your supply that you're selling to your customers,” he explained, referring to film companies. “I think that we're in a position now where those film companies have worked through their supply chain, so to speak, to a point where we can gain momentum again.”

For Bowers, it’s not just about the number of films coming to theaters, it’s also about the quality.

“It's truly this great slate from everyone and a consistent opening of new movies and multiple movies on every weekend,” he said.

That goes for all genres, whether it’s family films, adult dramas, comedies, action-thrillers or rom-coms. “We see all the genres returning this year,” Bowers said, “and coming back strong.”

It also doesn’t hurt that fans will be seeing familiar fare, with so many popular franchise returns and reboots, including Mission Impossible, Jurassic World, Avatar, Karate Kid, Superman and more.

Studios are prioritizing theatrical releases

Streaming was an arguable life-saver — for studios and movie fans alike — when theaters were closed during the pandemic. Now, some film distributors are beginning to reevaluate their movie release strategies.

Disney, for example, will be abandoning long-form original content for streaming, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Creating original content was key to growing subscribers for Disney+, but the studio is now rethinking its strategy after its recent theatrical successes Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. Originally conceived as an animated series for the streamer, Moana 2 was retooled as a feature film, earning more than $1 billion at the box office.

“That's [nearly] $3 billion in world box office [returns] with those two movies alone,” Cory Jacobson, president of Phoenix Theaters, told Yahoo. “And imagine that the profitability to Disney as a company is tremendous.”

Jacobson noted that meanwhile, these theatrical successes actually boosted the streaming business.

“Disney+ saw a surge in streaming revenue, with people subscribing to Disney+ in order to watch [2015’s] Inside Out,” he said. “I think that shocked these guys. I don't think they were expecting that to happen.”

“We know how movie theaters feel about longer theatrical windows. But it really took the numbers to convince the studios that, ‘Hey, we benefit just as much as [theaters] do when we do this,’” Loria explained, referring to the time it takes a movie to leave the theater and become available on streaming.

Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav also did an about-face in 2022, saying the company would “fully embrace theatrical” after a previous business model prioritized straight-to-streaming releases.

“When you’re in theaters, the value of the content and the overall viewing experience is elevated," he said.

It’s not just movies, it’s an experience

Whether it’s through themed movie events, social media activations, unique popcorn buckets or tech upgrades, movie theaters have recognized the need to incentivize potential audiences to leave the comfort and safety of their living rooms to see a film — to the tune of $2.2 billion, according to a December report from Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners.

“We're really investing our dollars into building up our theaters,” Valarie Rico, director of marketing and sales at Santikos Entertainment, told Yahoo. “We have four locations that are family entertainment centers, so that [in addition] to movies, we offer bowling, laser tag, arcade.”

Rico, who recently spoke on the “How Theatres are Eventizing the Moviegoing Experience” panel at South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, explained that other locations are leaning into comfort and convenience, with plush recliners and self-serve popcorn.

Bowers also mentioned “investments from movie theater companies” like improved technology, including laser projection and digital sound, in addition to luxury seating and enhanced food and beverage options.

“That's really what it's about,” Rico added, “just innovating the moviegoing experience by creating an occasion for it, one, but then also, two, making it more convenient for our moviegoers to be able to come back and see us.”

AMC Entertainment chief executive Adam Aron told The Wrap in 2024 that the industry would be “roaring hot” in 2025 and 2026. While that company has made critical adjustments, like closing theaters to improve margins, it has also reimagined its food and beverage options.

Encouraging fans to dress up and share photos on social media helps too.

“For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, that was one that people were coming out in their green wigs and black-and-white striped outfits,” Rico said. “We partnered with the studio, and they were able to send us costume characters of the [shrunken head] Bobs, right? So people were lining up to take pictures with these Bob-like characters [while] showcasing their outfits.”

A call to action

At the 2025 Oscars, the biggest celebration of movies, there were at least two prominent shout-outs to see movies in the theater.

After the host, Conan O’Brien, described “another way” to stream movies (“in a building that’s dedicated to streaming movies”), Anora filmmaker Sean Baker unleashed his own “battle cry.”

“Watching a film in a theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, scream and fight together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together. And in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever,” the Oscar winner said, accepting his award for Best Director.

When a so-called loneliness epidemic is fueling headlines, the four-time Academy Award winner stressed the community of moviegoing.

“It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home,” he said.

To help with that, Rico said theaters are stepping up and “honing in on what our audiences want.” This year, she said, “is gonna be bigger and better.”