The 2025 Summer Box Office Is Losing The Battle To Your Couch

That headline probably gave JD Vance a sensation in his pants, but it should worry most filmmakers and film lovers.

I've been going to the movies every week this year and doing my part, but the numbers for the 2025 summer box office are in, and they're not pretty.

Right now, we're seeing reports of only $3.6 billion in North America. That's a small drop from $3.67 billion last year and a huge one from $4.09 billion in 2023.

Unfortunately, it's not because there aren't enough movies. It's because people aren't showing up.

Let's dive in.

You Can't Compete With the Couch

Let's be real. We've all done it. "Should we go to the theater and spend $20 on a ticket, plus another $20 on popcorn and a soda? Or should we just wait a few weeks and watch it on Netflix?"

The couch is winning. More and more people are opting to stay home. And who can blame them? The home viewing experience is getting better and better, and the cost of going to the movies is getting higher and higher.

But here's what that means for you, the screenwriter. That four-quadrant blockbuster you're writing? The one that needs a massive opening weekend to be profitable? The studios are getting scared to make those.

They're looking for movies that are either so big and event-worthy that people have to see them in a theater, or so cheap that they can make their money back on streaming and VOD.

That middle ground is disappearing.

The International Market Isn't Your Savior Anymore

"What about the foreign box office? China loves big, dumb action movies!"

Not as much as they used to. The international market, which used to be the saving grace for a lot of Hollywood films, is starting to dry up.

We're not seeing titles explode in Asia like they used to, and fewer and fewer movies are making money abroad as filmmaking standards across the world now almost match Hollywood, and there's a ton more competition for screens.

So, What the Hell Are You Supposed to Do?

Look, I'm not telling you to give up and go to law school. But you need to be smart. You need to understand the market.

• Write for a budget. Think about what your movie would actually cost to make. Can you tell your story for $5 million instead of $100 million? If you can, you're a lot more likely to get it made.
• Have a killer concept. Now more than ever, your idea needs to be noisy and get people excited. It needs to be something that people haven't seen before. Something that's going to make them get off their couch and go to the theater.
• Think globally. If you are writing a big-budget movie, think about how it will play to an international audience. Are the themes universal? Is the humor going to translate? Who is it for?
• Write what you love. At the end of the day, the only thing you can control is the words you put on the page. So write something you're passionate about. Something that you would want to see. Because if you don't love it, why should anyone else?

Summing It Up

The old rules don't apply anymore, but that's okay because that means there's an opportunity to create something new. Now stop reading this and go write it and get it made.

Let me know in the comments.