Disney Carried the 2024 Domestic Box Office and This Year Could Be Even Better
The United States box office exceeded expectations in 2024 and finished with an $8.72 billion gross. While a far cry from pre-pandemic numbers, Hollywood has reasons to be optimistic.
The domestic box office fell 3% from 2023’s gross of $9 billion. However, When considering the numerous mitigating factors, that number should be seen as a win.
For starters, the first quarter of 2024 was heavily impacted by last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. With productions behind schedule, a dearth of content was released early in the year.


Photo: Marvel
In fact, by the end of April, the domestic box office was 20% behind 2023. That means that movie theaters gained 17% over the final nine months of the year.
Similarly, Marvel Studios, which has come to dominate the box office over the last decade, only released one film last year. When Deadpool & Wolverine did arrive, the film would go on to gross $636,745,858.
Disney Carried the Domestic Box Office in 2024
Looking back at 2024, the big winner was clearly Disney. The studio grossed $2.19 billion at domestic theaters, a 17% increase from 2023. Interestingly, Disney made its triumphant comeback with a diverse collection of films.


Photo: Disney
Marvel, Pixar, and Walt Disney Animation each released a respective blockbuster in the forms of Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and Moana 2. The success of the three films was especially impactful as all three studios faced disappointment in 2023.
While Pixar’s Elemental ended up being a success, the film’s slow start grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons. Disney and Marvel, meanwhile, released the dual bombs of Wish and The Marvels.


Image: Pixar
Now, all three studios head into 2025 on solid footing.
Twentieth Century and Searchlight Deliver
Even outside its trio of blockbusters, Disney found success with its smaller releases. 20th Century Studios delivered Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus, both of which breathed new life into established franchises.


Photo: Deadline
Meanwhile, Searchlight is currently basking in the glow of the success of A Complete Unknown, the highest-grossing film from the studio since it was acquired by Disney in 2019.


Timothée Chalamet in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Photo by Macall Polay, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
Taken as a whole, Disney’s 2024 releases accounted for 25% of the domestic box office gross. Not bad for a studio that many thought was in trouble when the year began.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As 2025 unfolds before our eyes, the question for Disney is whether they can strike a balance between quantity and quality. Unlike last year, the Disney release schedule is jam-packed with big releases.


Photo: Marvel
Marvel Studios will triple its 2024 output with the release of Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Walt Disney Productions, meanwhile, will wade back into the live-action remake sphere with Snow White and Lilo & Stitch. The studio will also release three highly-anticipated sequels — Freakier Friday, Tron: Ares, and Zootopia 2.


Photo: Disney
Finally, Pixar will return to theaters this year with the long-awaited Elio, while 20th Century will cap off 2025 with Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Can Disney Deliver
Looking at the schedule, Disney should have a historic year at the box office. As 2023 showed, however, established franchises do not always churn out hits.


Walt Disney Company
If Disney can deliver, the studio should not only carry the domestic box office again, but it could put pre-pandemic numbers to shame.
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