Domestic Movie Theatrical Market Summary 1995 to 2024

Welcome to our reference library analyzing trends in the domestic movie industry since 1995. In this area of the site, you'll find over 2,000 pages of information detailing the changes that have shaped the industry.

Our market analysis is built on The Numbers' unique categorization system, which uses six different criteria to identify a movie. Every movie released since 1995 is categorized according to the following attributes: Creative Type (factual, contemporary fiction, fantasy etc.), Source (book, play, original screenplay...), Genre (drama, horror, documentary etc.), MPAA Rating, Production Method (live action, digital animation etc.) and Distributor. Our market charts provide year-by-year analysis across these categories, allowing analysis of market trends. See, for example, how horror movie revenues have varied, the emergence of digital animation and live action/CGI animated movies, and the decline (and possible rebound) of R-rated movies. To explore, click on an individual year, distributor, genre, creative type, production method or MPAA rating to see annual trends in a particular category.

Note: in order to provide a fair comparison between movies released in different years, all rankings are based on ticket sales, which are calculated using average ticket prices announced by the MPAA in their annual state of the industry report.

Annual Ticket Sales


Note: Figures for 2024 are at an annualized rate (both in the graph above and the table below). The Box Office Totals in the graph above are not adjusted for inflation.

YearTickets SoldTotal Box OfficeTotal Inflation
Adjusted Box Office
Average
Ticket Price
2024 628,651,440 $6,776,862,525 $6,776,862,525 $10.78
2023 828,562,793 $8,930,525,547 $8,930,525,731 $10.78
2022 704,863,827 $7,422,218,151 $7,596,871,999 $10.53
2021 443,872,725 $4,514,187,178 $4,784,702,682 $10.17
2020 220,061,776 $2,020,168,970 $2,371,500,385 $9.18
2019 1,224,504,536 $11,216,464,155 $13,200,137,813 $9.16
2018 1,310,936,473 $11,942,633,799 $14,131,245,069 $9.11
2017 1,225,628,810 $10,993,893,226 $13,200,215,786 $8.97
2016 1,302,334,034 $11,265,192,629 $14,038,940,632 $8.65
2015 1,323,177,499 $11,154,389,331 $14,263,295,413 $8.43
2014 1,257,281,692 $10,271,994,581 $13,552,766,664 $8.17
2013 1,339,166,251 $10,887,424,599 $14,431,109,006 $8.13
2012 1,382,837,803 $11,007,391,889 $14,896,698,805 $7.96
2011 1,282,915,420 $10,173,521,698 $13,780,051,640 $7.93
2010 1,328,787,540 $10,484,135,922 $14,253,642,608 $7.89
2009 1,418,567,388 $10,639,257,284 $15,008,384,604 $7.50
2008 1,358,070,522 $9,750,948,417 $14,310,332,734 $7.18
2007 1,420,070,454 $9,770,087,282 $14,976,528,934 $6.88
2006 1,401,392,669 $9,179,124,447 $14,762,504,485 $6.55
2005 1,372,980,280 $8,800,805,718 $14,464,975,341 $6.41
2004 1,495,066,169 $9,284,362,879 $15,751,951,491 $6.21
2003 1,524,589,620 $9,193,277,289 $16,061,776,869 $6.03
2002 1,575,756,527 $9,155,147,215 $16,593,786,881 $5.81
2001 1,465,908,110 $8,297,041,538 $15,449,273,040 $5.66
2000 1,395,129,002 $7,519,746,970 $14,705,252,030 $5.39
1999 1,444,672,583 $7,338,938,019 $15,223,645,547 $5.08
1998 1,453,112,817 $6,815,100,112 $15,319,636,910 $4.69
1997 1,347,614,826 $6,185,552,939 $14,212,881,435 $4.59
1996 1,305,281,831 $5,769,346,486 $13,746,803,998 $4.42
1995 1,221,778,976 $5,314,739,245 $12,878,704,676 $4.35

Number of Wide Releases Each Year

Find below information about the number of movies released wide each year.


YearWarner BrosWalt Disney20th Century FoxParamount PicturesSony PicturesUniversalTotal Major 6Total Other Studios
2024 11 7 0 8 15 21 62 52
2023 12 9 0 9 17 20 67 83
2022 6 5 0 10 13 25 59 51
2021 17 7 0 4 16 16 60 35
2020 5 3 1 3 9 13 34 23
2019 18 10 11 9 18 21 87 43
2018 19 10 11 10 16 20 86 58
2017 18 8 14 10 16 15 81 50
2016 17 12 16 12 16 22 95 46
2015 22 11 18 9 13 20 93 33
2014 17 12 17 10 17 15 88 37
2013 17 8 15 8 14 16 78 42
2012 16 11 15 13 18 17 90 42
2011 20 13 15 13 21 19 101 35
2010 20 12 18 12 17 17 96 30
2009 25 14 20 10 21 21 111 30
2008 19 11 22 14 19 19 104 48
2007 30 13 17 16 22 20 118 50
2006 26 17 25 13 26 21 128 31
2005 20 20 19 12 19 17 107 30
2004 27 25 18 14 15 14 113 25
2003 28 19 13 14 19 13 106 23
2002 32 23 15 16 20 13 119 21
2001 30 16 16 14 17 10 103 25
2000 29 22 13 12 15 13 104 27
1999 27 20 15 13 22 16 113 19
1998 27 21 11 11 20 16 106 20
1997 31 22 12 16 22 11 114 22
1996 31 23 13 16 24 13 120 22
1995 27 22 11 12 20 17 109 27

Top Movie of Each Year

This table lists the top-grossing movie for each year, based on tickets sold for each movie during the course of the year. Click on the year to see a detailed breakdown for the market as a whole in that year.

YearMovie
Categorization

Creative Type
Production Method
Source
Genre
MPAA
Rating
DistributorTotal for YearTotal in 2023 dollarsTickets Sold
1995 Batman Forever Super Hero
Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Warner Bros. $184,031,112 $456,058,702 42,306,002
1996 Independence Day Science Fiction
Live Action
Original Screenplay
Adventure
PG-13 20th Century Fox $306,169,255 $746,720,488 69,269,062
1997 Men in Black Science Fiction
Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Sony Pictures $250,650,052 $588,672,666 54,607,854
1998 Titanic Historical Fiction
Live Action
Original Screenplay
Drama
PG-13 Paramount Pictures $488,192,879 $1,122,114,972 104,092,298
1999 Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace Science Fiction
Animation/Live Action
Original Screenplay
Adventure
PG 20th Century Fox $430,443,350 $913,421,115 84,732,942
2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas Kids Fiction
Live Action
Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Adventure
PG Universal $254,257,385 $508,514,764 47,172,056
2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Fantasy
Animation/Live Action
Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Adventure
PG Warner Bros. $300,404,434 $572,148,371 53,074,988
2002 Spider-Man Super Hero
Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Adventure
PG-13 Sony Pictures $403,706,375 $749,045,562 69,484,746
2003 Finding Nemo Kids Fiction
Digital Animation
Original Screenplay
Adventure
G Walt Disney $339,714,367 $607,316,892 56,337,374
2004 Shrek 2 Kids Fiction
Digital Animation
Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Adventure
PG Dreamworks SKG $441,226,247 $765,928,972 71,050,925
2005 Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith Science Fiction
Animation/Live Action
Original Screenplay
Adventure
PG-13 20th Century Fox $380,270,577 $639,518,994 59,324,582
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Historical Fiction
Live Action
Based on Theme Park Ride
Adventure
PG-13 Walt Disney $423,315,812 $696,693,807 64,628,368
2007 Spider-Man 3 Super Hero
Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Adventure
PG-13 Sony Pictures $336,530,303 $527,296,025 48,914,288
2008 The Dark Knight Super Hero
Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Warner Bros. $531,001,578 $797,241,929 73,955,652
2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Science Fiction
Animation/Live Action
Based on TV
Action
PG-13 Paramount Pictures $402,111,870 $577,968,794 53,614,916
2010 Toy Story 3 Kids Fiction
Digital Animation
Original Screenplay
Adventure
G Walt Disney $415,004,880 $567,015,538 52,598,844
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II Fantasy
Animation/Live Action
Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Adventure
PG-13 Warner Bros. $381,011,219 $517,944,633 48,046,812
2012 The Avengers Super Hero
Animation/Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Walt Disney $623,357,910 $844,195,760 78,311,295
2013 Iron Man 3 Super Hero
Animation/Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Walt Disney $408,992,272 $542,304,631 50,306,552
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Super Hero
Animation/Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Walt Disney $333,055,258 $439,453,567 40,765,637
2015 Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens Science Fiction
Animation/Live Action
Original Screenplay
Adventure
PG-13 Walt Disney $742,208,942 $949,111,787 88,043,765
2016 Finding Dory Kids Fiction
Digital Animation
Original Screenplay
Adventure
PG Walt Disney $486,295,561 $606,042,329 56,219,140
2017 Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi Science Fiction
Animation/Live Action
Original Screenplay
Adventure
PG-13 Walt Disney $517,218,368 $621,584,610 57,660,910
2018 Black Panther Super Hero
Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Walt Disney $700,059,566 $828,391,008 76,845,177
2019 Avengers: Endgame Super Hero
Animation/Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Walt Disney $858,373,000 $1,010,181,328 93,708,843
2020 Bad Boys For Life Contemporary Fiction
Live Action
Original Screenplay
Action
R Sony Pictures $204,417,855 $240,046,237 22,267,740
2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home Super Hero
Animation/Live Action
Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Action
PG-13 Sony Pictures $572,984,769 $607,352,584 56,340,685
2022 Top Gun: Maverick Contemporary Fiction
Live Action
Original Screenplay
Action
PG-13 Paramount Pictures $718,732,821 $735,796,748 68,255,728
2023 Barbie Contemporary Fiction
Live Action
Based on Toy
Comedy
PG-13 Warner Bros. $636,225,983 $636,225,984 59,019,108
2024 Dune: Part Two Science Fiction
Live Action
Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Action
PG-13 Warner Bros. $204,723,123 $204,723,123 18,991,013

Top-Grossing Distributors 1995 to 2024

  MoviesTotal GrossAverage GrossMarket Share
1 Walt Disney 614 $43,423,265,855 $70,721,931 16.92%
2 Warner Bros. 839 $39,043,141,003 $46,535,329 15.22%
3 Sony Pictures 810 $31,813,662,274 $39,276,126 12.40%
4 Universal 593 $31,808,551,042 $53,640,052 12.40%
5 Paramount Pictures 523 $26,704,302,373 $51,059,852 10.41%
6 20th Century Fox 531 $25,892,531,286 $48,761,829 10.09%
7 Lionsgate 450 $10,356,119,348 $23,013,599 4.04%
8 New Line 208 $6,197,763,947 $29,796,942 2.42%
9 Dreamworks SKG 77 $4,278,836,091 $55,569,300 1.67%
10 MGM 249 $3,908,835,532 $15,698,135 1.52%
See complete chart

Top-Grossing Genres 1995 to 2024

  MoviesTotal GrossAverage GrossMarket Share
1 Adventure 1,103 $64,179,193,186 $58,186,032 25.01%
2 Action 1,241 $57,991,731,341 $46,729,840 22.60%
3 Comedy 2,603 $37,283,179,299 $14,323,158 14.53%
4 Drama 5,823 $37,029,887,823 $6,359,246 14.43%
5 Thriller/Suspense 1,337 $20,911,464,144 $15,640,586 8.15%
6 Horror 843 $14,927,070,491 $17,707,082 5.82%
7 Romantic Comedy 686 $11,190,560,150 $16,312,770 4.36%
8 Musical 217 $5,344,814,813 $24,630,483 2.08%
9 Documentary 2,611 $2,617,086,770 $1,002,331 1.02%
10 Black Comedy 268 $2,566,533,382 $9,576,617 1.00%
See complete chart

Top-Grossing MPAA Ratings 1995 to 2024

  MoviesTotal GrossAverage GrossMarket Share
1 PG-13 3,486 $124,508,936,133 $35,716,849 48.52%
2 R 5,784 $67,052,429,561 $11,592,744 26.13%
3 PG 1,643 $53,029,948,913 $32,276,293 20.67%
4 G 390 $9,588,195,591 $24,585,117 3.74%
5 Not Rated 5,839 $1,955,493,917 $334,902 0.76%
6 NC-17 24 $44,850,139 $1,868,756 0.02%
7 Open 5 $5,489,687 $1,097,937 0.00%
8 GP 7 $552,618 $78,945 0.00%
See complete chart

Top-Grossing Sources 1995 to 2024

  MoviesTotal GrossAverage GrossMarket Share
1 Original Screenplay 8,658 $112,738,170,599 $13,021,272 43.94%
2 Based on Fiction Book/Short Story 2,291 $49,519,297,316 $21,614,709 19.30%
3 Based on Comic/Graphic Novel 290 $27,775,686,398 $95,778,229 10.82%
4 Based on Real Life Events 3,500 $12,760,177,927 $3,645,765 4.97%
5 Based on TV 241 $11,930,448,289 $49,503,935 4.65%
6 Remake 313 $11,255,471,055 $35,959,971 4.39%
7 Based on Factual Book/Article 353 $8,094,613,031 $22,930,915 3.15%
8 Spin-Off 53 $4,822,831,513 $90,996,821 1.88%
9 Based on Folk Tale/Legend/Fairytale 79 $3,406,126,783 $43,115,529 1.33%
10 Based on Game 58 $3,116,840,139 $53,738,623 1.21%
See complete chart

Top-Grossing Production Methods 1995 to 2024

  MoviesTotal GrossAverage GrossMarket Share
1 Live Action 15,825 $190,756,702,780 $12,054,136 74.34%
2 Animation/Live Action 285 $34,944,449,583 $122,612,104 13.62%
3 Digital Animation 437 $26,997,701,889 $61,779,638 10.52%
4 Hand Animation 171 $3,009,847,474 $17,601,447 1.17%
5 Stop-Motion Animation 40 $688,719,467 $17,217,987 0.27%
6 Multiple Production Methods 31 $51,841,353 $1,672,302 0.02%
7 Rotoscoping 4 $8,468,385 $2,117,096 0.00%
See complete chart

Top-Grossing Creative Types 1995 to 2024

  MoviesTotal GrossAverage GrossMarket Share
1 Contemporary Fiction 8,120 $102,807,365,456 $12,661,006 40.07%
2 Kids Fiction 616 $35,764,912,098 $58,059,922 13.94%
3 Science Fiction 816 $32,490,327,004 $39,816,577 12.66%
4 Super Hero 161 $24,621,574,866 $152,929,036 9.60%
5 Fantasy 744 $20,284,592,201 $27,264,237 7.91%
6 Historical Fiction 1,640 $19,536,261,123 $11,912,354 7.61%
7 Dramatization 1,313 $17,385,826,339 $13,241,300 6.78%
8 Factual 2,673 $3,341,199,218 $1,249,981 1.30%
9 Multiple Creative Types 50 $131,222,241 $2,624,445 0.05%
See complete chart

Our Theatrical Market pages are based on the Domestic Theatrical Market performance only. The Domestic Market is defined as the North American movie territory (consisting of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam).

The yearly amounts on our Theatrical Market pages are based on box office years. Each box office year starts on the first Monday of the year, so the previous year ends on the Sunday before the first Monday. For example, the "2017 box office year" started on January 2, 2017 so the "2016 box office year" ended on Sunday, January 1, 2017.