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 when ageless box office magnets like Cruise exist, Nivola isn’t convinced Hollywood is interested in birthing new ones. —Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025

His Superman film, which released in July 2025 to box office success, marked a fresh chapter for the popular franchise. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025

One thing’s for certain: Marvel Studios will be navigating some shaky ground in the coming year and a half trying to figure out how to get the Marvel Cinematic Universe back on course after its third box office disappointment of 2025. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Among box office benchmarks for Hamilton, the staged musical in previews made $400M in Chicago, breaking the B.O. record for a theater in the Windy City. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 Aug. 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