box office

noun

1
a
: an office (as in a theater) where tickets of admission are sold
b
: income from ticket sales (as for a film)
2
: the ability (as of a show) to attract ticket buyers
also : something that enhances that ability
any publicity is good box office

Examples of box office in a Sentence

The box office will open at 10:00 a.m.
Recent Examples on the Web That represented a 67% share of the overall box office market, according to data from tracking service Kobis, operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Patrick Frater, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024 An alarming string of box office bombs last year led by the Lucasfilm Indiana Jones flop prompted Peltz to return. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 Kung Fu Panda 4 kept its kung fu grip on the domestic box office, grossing $30 million in its second week of release, bringing its total to $107.7 million, as per Comscore. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2024 What to Know Before Watching on Disney+ Upon the release of The Eras Tour, the movie became a box office smash, earning over $260 million worldwide box office and shattering records to become the top selling concert film of all-time. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The film, starring Margot Robbie as the iconic blond plastic doll, saved the summer box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year with $636 million in North America and $1.4 billion globally to date. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 In a rare achievement, Universal’s creative dominance has coincided with commercial supremacy: The studio was No. 1 at the worldwide box office in 2023, selling nearly $5 billion in tickets and ending an eight-year reign by Disney. Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Average White Band, $51.50 All shows not marked ** go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Humphreys Restaurant box office, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, or online at ticketmaster.com. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Last year, the young actor rocketed to No. 7 on the list of the top-grossing stars at the 2023 worldwide box office, up from No. 33 in 2022 and No. 49 in 2021, per box office tracker The Numbers. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'box office.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of box office was in 1741

Dictionary Entries Near box office

Cite this Entry

“Box office.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/box%20office. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

box office

noun
: an office in a public place (as a theater or stadium) where admission tickets are sold

More from Merriam-Webster on box office

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