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

But there’s agita in the air, that these great boom times of box office and 45-day window extensions are barreling toward an apocalypse, and that’s all because of the looming Paramount-Warner Bros merger which is expected to final before Q4 this year. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026

That has boosted this year’s domestic box office revenue, which is up 26% from the same period last year, according to Comscore. —Samantha Masunaga, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026

After four weekends of release, the film is expected to have collected $258 million at the North American box office. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026

Released in July 2001, Legally Blonde quickly exceeded expectations, becoming both a box office hit and a cultural touchstone. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 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