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

International box office crisis Foreign audiences were supposed to be the saving grace after domestic projections began to nosedive in the the days leading up to release. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

In this respect, BIFF is also riding a positive trend as local cinema began to revive at the beginning of this year, following a long period of declining box office and audience apathy that held back post-pandemic recovery. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026

While Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther wasn’t the first Black superhero to make it to the big screen, the film broke box office records, proving that a predominantly Black cast and superhero story could have mainstream success. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

But the offer of a big movie deal has Ivalu stuck between two worlds as an indie Canadian producer, The Quiet Loud, encourages her to dredge up a childhood trauma to boost future box office. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 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