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

This weekend marks the start of Hollywood’s summer movie season, a crucial 18-week corridor that runs through Labor Day and often accounts for around 40% of the annual box office. —Lindsey Bahr, Fortune, 4 May 2026

Fresh off her time on the dance competition show, the mother of three made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago, which smashed the musical's box office record with the highest weekly ticket sales in the show's 29-year history. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026

This weekend marks the start of Hollywood’s summer movie season, a crucial 18-week corridor that runs through Labor Day and often accounts for around 40% of the annual box office. —Lindsey Bahr, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026

In its second weekend, the controversial Michael Jackson biopic grossed another $54 million at the domestic box office, representing an impressively small drop of 44% from its opening weekend. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 3 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for box office

• interoffice

Kids Definition

box office

noun

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