Global box office revenue 2004-2021, by region

In 2021, the global box office revenue amounted to approximately 21.3 billion U.S. dollars, out of which more than half – 10.9 billion dollars – came from the Asia Pacific region. In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa – collectively known as EMEA – the box office revenue added up to five billion dollars or almost one-fourth of the total. Despite the increase when compared to 2020, the 2021 figures remained distant from the 42.3-billion-dollar global revenue recorded in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak.

What is box office data used for?

The term box office revenue refers to the total revenue generated through movie ticket sales. It is primarily used to measure and compare the commercial success of a film. Ticket sales may account for a large portion of the film industry’s total revenue – especially before the pandemic. They are also the main source of income for movie theaters.

Leading box office markets

The United States and Canada – known as the North American movie market – were the leading box office market worldwide for several decades. But China, alongside other Asian markets, has also begun to make its mark on the global movie industry in recent years. Bollywood movies, in particular, are gaining popularity outside of India. While the Indian film industry released far more movies than China and the U.S. until the coronavirus outbreak, its box office revenues remained comparatively small.