box office

¹ American  

noun

1. the office of a theater, stadium, or the like, at which tickets are sold.

2. Theater.

   1. receipts from a play or other entertainment.

   2. entertainment popular enough to attract paying audiences and make a profit.

      This show will be good box office.

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box-office ² American  

[boks-aw-fis, -of-is] / ˈbɒksˌɔ fɪs, -ˌɒf ɪs /

adjective

1. of or relating to the box office or to the business and commercial aspects of the theater.

   a box-office window; box-office receipts; a box-office attraction.

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box office British  

noun

1. an office at a theatre, cinema, etc, where tickets are sold

2. the receipts from a play, film, etc

3. 1. the public appeal of an actor or production

      the musical was bad box office

   2. ( as modifier )

      a box-office success

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box office Idioms  

1. The office where seats for a play, concert, or other form of entertainment may be purchased, as in Tickets are available at the box office . It is so called because originally (17th century) it was the place for hiring a box, a special compartment of theater seats set aside for ladies. [Second half of 1700s]

2. The financial receipts from a performance; also, a show's relative success in attracting a paying audience. For example, You may not consider it great art, but this play is good box office . [c. 1900]

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Etymology

Origin of box office¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Origin of box-office²

First recorded in 1805–15; adj. use of box office

Example Sentences

Though it had strong reviews and an exciting young cast, it failed to catch on with broader audiences, only bringing in around $1 million at the box office.

From Los Angeles Times

Space adventure flick "Project Hail Mary" topped the North American box office for a second straight week with $54.5 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

From Barron's

In comparison, the domestic box office take for “One Battle After Another,” the Oscar winner for best picture, topped out at just under $73 million.

From Salon

The announcement comes as “Project Hail Mary” is dominating at the box office after opening last weekend to $140.9 million worldwide.

From Los Angeles Times

"The sequel is creating history. It is shattering all previous records and redefining the box office. A true game changer," says Taran Adarsh, a film trade analyst.

From BBC

Related Words

• gate