Domestic box office poised for record-breaking year with $11.3B

VARIETY

8 years ago

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Ryan Reynolds in a scene from the film “Deadpool.”

Tenacious teenager Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) recruits a demigod named Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) to help her become a master wayfinder and sail out on a daring mission to save her people. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker, produced by Osnat Shurer, and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i, “Moana” sailed into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. (©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.)

LOS ANGELES — Sequels and spin-offs to “Finding Nemo,” “Captain America,” and “Star Wars” powered the 2016 box office to a new domestic record.

Ticket sales have crossed the $11 billion mark for the second consecutive year, according to ComScore. The data analysis company projects that the stateside box office will hit $11.3 billion this year, passing 2015’s record-setting $11.1 billion. Through Monday, stateside revenues were up more than 2%, and this week is expected to be a busy one for moviegoing. Many Americans are taking the seven days between Christmas and New Year’s off for vacation.

It’s a high-water mark that few thought would be eclipsed in 2016. There were fewer blockbusters like “Jurassic World” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” this year. Moreover, many analysts felt that ticket sales would suffer from the absence of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which injected more than $900 million into the stateside box office.

Even without hits on that scale, 2016 delivered with many major successes. “Rogue One” has dominated the Christmas box office. “Deadpool,” an R-rated comic book adaptation, was a surprise breakout last February, racking up $363.1 million. And though trade papers fretted about “sequelitis,” a phantom virus that had audiences rejecting franchises, follow-ups such as “Captain America: Civil War” and “Finding Dory” delivered at the multiplexes.

The box office also got a hand from superhero films such as “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and animated fare such as “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Moana.”