KATHMANDU: The global film industry is witnessing a box office decline, not just in Nepal but all over the world. In Bollywood, Pushpa 2 and Chhava are the only ones that have raked in humongous revenues, and other Indian films have not been successful to any great extent. Similarly, in Nepal, apart from Purnabahadur Ko Sarangi, only Anjila and Hostel 3 have seen decent earnings.

Hollywood is facing a similar challenge. According to news reports, the industry has yet to recover from the massive box office decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2025 begins slowly in the first quarter, with market analysts predicting that upcoming blockbusters like Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, Superman, and Avatar: Fire and Ash will provide much-needed relief.

Hollywood’s Box Office Woes

A Reuters report states that North American box office revenues in 2024 totaled $8.6 billion—approximately 25% below pre-pandemic highs of $11.4 billion in 2019. The company was especially battered in 2023 by the residual writers’ and actors’ strikes, when production halted on existing series and budgets soared. Having nothing to film, expensive sets lay idle for months, studios renting expensive space to pick up the slack.

Industry Titans to Gather in Las Vegas

Hollywood’s biggest players are set to meet at the CinemaCon Summit in Las Vegas next month to discuss the state of the industry. Major studios and multiplex executives—including AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, and Cineworld—will convene alongside independent theater owners to find solutions for the struggling box office.

Oscar-Winning Director’s Warning

Director Sean Baker, whose film Anora won five Oscars this year, including Best Picture, has urged filmmakers, distributors, and audiences to support theatrical experiences. At the Oscars, he warned, “The theater experience is in crisis. The number of screens has shrunk since the pandemic. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll lose a vital part of our culture.”

The Rise of OTT Streaming

Experts suggest that while audiences still watch big-budget films, many now prefer to wait for their OTT release, which has become the new norm. Previously, it would take at least three months for films to arrive on streaming platforms, but now it is between three to eight weeks of its release in theaters, impacting box office collections greatly.

Hollywood’s Upcoming Blockbusters

Despite the downturn, Hollywood is hoping for some major releases in the coming months:

• Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning (May 23) – Possibly Tom Cruise’s final installment in the franchise.
• Thunderbolts (May 2) – A highly anticipated Marvel anti-hero film.
• F1 (June 27) – Starring Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver, and bound to receive massive viewership.
• Superman (July 11) – Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn will direct this one, with David Corenswet as the Man of Steel.
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25) – Highly anticipated MCU remake.
• Wicked: Part 2 (November 21) – A sequel to the stage sensation, a holiday box office hit.
• Zootopia 2 (November 26) – A family animated blockbuster.
• Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19) – James Cameron’s third installment in the Avatar franchise, set to close the year with a bang.

2025 Box Office Projections

In spite of the hardship, industry analysts predict modest growth in 2025. Domestic box office box office revenue will reach $9 billion, a slight increase from last year’s figures. Whether these major releases can bring back the world film industry is yet to be determined.