Cineplex says recent Hollywood tentpoles like Moana 2 and Wicked fueled blockbuster box office performance in December 2024.
But the Canadian exhibition giant cautioned Thanksgiving holdovers and more year-end titles left Cineplex still below pre-pandemic box office revenue in Dec. 2019. On Monday, Cineplex reported box office revenue in Dec. 2024 came to $64.8 million, up sharply from $51.8 million in December 2023.
“This month, we saw the impact of longevity on highly anticipated films, like Wicked and Moana 2 and the continued success of international programming in our theatres that reflect our diverse Canadian population,” Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex, said in a statement.
In Dec. 2024, the cinema chain also had on its screens the Cantonese-language flick The Last Dance and the Indian Telugu-language action drama Pushpa: The Rule – Part 2. But Canadian movie ticket sales for Cineplex were still below the pre-pandemic box office of $74.9 million recorded in Dec. 2019.
Cineplex said it gained as Wicked became the highest-grossing movie of all time based on a Broadway musical, and Moana 2 was among the top 10 highest-grossing animated films ever domestically, surpassing the original Moana film.
Cineplex added the combined box office and concession revenues in Dec. 2024 came to $112 million, or 129 percent of year-earlier levels, as the company posted a record concessions-per-patron at $9.34.
But while Canadians flocked to the local multiplex for U.S. Thanksgiving movies releases, Cineplex and other major North American chains are looking to show investors more Hollywood box office consistency after a string of studio tentpoles underperformed and consumer movie-going habits in the evolving streaming era continue to shift coming out of the pandemic.
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