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

The company said at the time that Q4 box office performance had been weaker than expected. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025

That film, which was shot partly in Sacramento, had an opening weekend of about $22 million in September, on its way to a worldwide box office just over $205 million. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Dec. 2025

The film was a hit, grossing over $136 million at the global box office and cementing Lopez as not just a musician, but one of Hollywood’s leading stars. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025

While Fire and Ash is certainly enjoying a notable lead, there's room for more than one success story at the weekend box office. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025

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