All Hail Avatar: How Event Movies Are Trying to Bring Back the Box Office Blockbuster
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to release in cinemas on 19 December 2025, highlighting the industry's continued focus on event-driven movies to revive the box office. The US box office for 2025 stands at about $7.6 billion, with the worldwide box office forecast around $34.1 billion, which is roughly 13% below pre-Covid levels.
Theatrical release windows have shortened to about 45 days, with premium video on demand (PVOD) capable of following after around 17 days for some titles. This shift reflects the industry's urgency to lure audiences back to cinemas by emphasizing 'theatricality.' Sony's strategic approach and Tom Cruise's stunt-driven films exemplify this trend.
Recent event films such as Barbenheimer (Barbie and Oppenheimer) and Deadpool & Wolverine demonstrate contemporary cinema's ability to drive major box office moments. Furthermore, mid-budget and lower-budget films have become increasingly viable in theatres, with examples including Sinners ($90 million budget), Weapons ($38 million), and the Naked Gun remake (about $42 million budget).
Streaming integration remains significant: since 2022, two-thirds of Netflix’s weekly top 10 English-language films have had theatrical releases. Notably, Red One, with a $250 million budget, opened in 4,000 cinemas but did not break even theatrically, though it boosted its streaming debut. Successful IP-based films such as Dune and the Minecraft Movie also illustrate the blending of theatrical and streaming strategies to maximize audience engagement and revenue.
