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• box office
  box office

  noun

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

  adjective

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

box office

¹ American  

noun

• box offices
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• box offices
  plural

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

box office box-office

It said it would move to agreed revenue splits from the box office rather than paying guaranteed fees for future tours.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

"You Can See Everything," the documentary about jailed biotech fraudster Elizabeth Holmes that is generating major Oscars buzz, prevailed in a slow weekend at the Halloween box office in North America, industry estimates showed Sunday.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

The horror genre is bigger than ever, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report that says this year’s domestic box office reached nearly $1.3 billion as of the start of October.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

The film is also expected to hit dozens of international markets in the coming weeks, which is expected to boost its box office revenue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

“The box office is the best job I’ve ever had,” he muttered, though when his eyes met hers, he looked ready to say something else.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Laura Miller explains why Taika Waititi’s adaptation is shaping up to be a legendary box-office bomb.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

A movie adaptation directed by Michael Mann, also called “Miami Vice,” came out in 2006 but was a box-office flop, The Times reported at the time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

China's first fully AI-generated feature film opens in cinemas on Friday in what promises to be a tough box-office test for the country's booming tech industry as advance ticket sales lag.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

It is one of only two products explicitly banned from futures trading — the other being box-office receipts for movies.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Then, in 1750, he premiered a controversial new work that was a box-office flop.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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