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

Steph Curry's family film GOAT overtook Wuthering Heights at the weekend's domestic box office. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026

Warners is predicting Wuthering Heights will top GOAT at the global box office again to finish Sunday with a worldwide total in the $150 million range. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026

Fennell, whose film made $83 million at the global box office during opening weekend, is at least proving, with sticky aplomb, how starved we as a culture are for romance. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026

But Netflix are still doing the absolute bare minimum to qualify, regardless of box office success. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Feb. 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