box office

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noun

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

Theater.

receipts from a play or other entertainment.
entertainment popular enough to attract paying audiences and make a profit: This show will be good box office.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of box office

First recorded in 1780–90

Words nearby box office

box loom, box lunch, box magazine, box nail, box number, box office, box pleat, box plot, box room, box score, box seat

Other definitions for box office (2 of 2)

box-office

[ boks-aw-fis, -of-is ]

/ ˈbɒksˌɔ fɪs, -ˌɒf ɪs /

adjective

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.

Origin of box-office

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use box office in a sentence

He arrived in the United States in 2002 at the age of 17, the same year Sam Raimi’s first “Spider-Man” movie broke records at the box office and made superheroes a mainstay in theaters.
He dreamed of creating his own African superhero universe. Now it’s finally paying off.|David Betancourt|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
That should be enough for a franchise that already dominates the box office, with three of the five highest-grossing movies of 2019 to its name.
WandaVision Deserves the Hype. But It Penalizes Casual Marvel Viewers With Confusion|Judy Berman|January 14, 2021|Time
He’s a partial-season plan holder now, but in 2016 he would often take advantage of the Nationals’ $5 same-day deal at the ballpark box office.
A Cubs fan needed one ticket to complete his epic collection. A Nats fan came through.|Scott Allen|December 26, 2020|Washington Post
A bit of a box office and critical disappointment at its release, The Muppet Christmas Carol has gone on to become a holiday classic for many.
A Christmas Carol, explained by a 5-year-old|Emily VanDerWerff|December 24, 2020|Vox

So far, box office revenues are down 80% from 2019 levels, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Congress COVID-19 relief bill includes $15 billion for Broadway, small music venues, movie theaters|Phil Wahba|December 21, 2020|Fortune
In response to the screen quota cut, South Korea established a “cinema tax” on the box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How to Train Your Dragon 2, the tenth highest grossing movie in 2014 America, made $22 million at the Korean box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But inspiration and faith-based agenda in movies does not guarantee box office success.
Are You There, God? It’s Nicolas Cage and the Year in Cinematically Pimped Religion|Matthew Paul Turner|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Draft Day, his Ivan Reitman-directed film about the NFL draft, grossed just $28 million at the domestic box office.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After that, the box office was up and it got played in more theaters.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby|Marlow Stern|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Passed the box-office coming up, continued this voluble enlightener; nothing left but a few seats in the top gallery.
The Fifth String |John Philip Sousa
We ask your indulgence for the keen disappointment, and beg to say that your money will be refunded at the box-office.
The Fifth String |John Philip Sousa
Turiddu was presiding over the box-office and had considered my requirements.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones
If he is to be a real business man he'll not have anything to do with tickets bought directly at the box office.
Seeing Things at Night|Heywood Broun
He had to sue two Graeco-Roman wrestlers for board and attach their box-office receipts.
In Madeira Place|Heman White Chaplin

British Dictionary definitions for box office

box office

noun

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

the receipts from a play, film, etc

the public appeal of an actor or productionthe musical was bad box office
(as modifier)a box-office success

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with box office

box office

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]

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]

box office

Origin of box office

Words nearby box office

Other definitions for box office (2 of 2)

Origin of box-office

Words related to box office

How to use box office in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for box office

Other Idioms and Phrases with box office