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

Still, the movie exceeded box office projections and is expected to top $100 million for the entire holiday weekend. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 26 May 2026

Below in all its glory is this weekend’s top 10 at the global box office, courtesy of Comscore. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 May 2026

Obsession is the latest data point in that changing trajectory, and its box office performance is perhaps the most striking of all of them given the scale of the budget involved. —Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

That’s important because the four-month period is typically the most profitable stretch, accounting for $4 billion, or around 40% of the annual box office. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 24 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