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

Amazon is raking in cash at the box office after sending Ryan Gosling to space with “Project Hail Mary.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

The 2025 box office ended up reaching about $8.87 billion, just barely above 2024’s already dismal total.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” universes and John Green book adaptations also dominated the box office.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" -- based on Nintendo's popular video game franchise -- reigned supreme at North America's box office, stomping competitors for a second straight week, industry estimates showed Sunday.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

There was a grinding sound, like when movie tickets shoot up through the slot at the box office.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• gate