2025 In Entertainment—So Far: ‘Minecraft,' ‘Sinners' Boost Box Office 16% From Last Year

Forbes

2 days ago

'A Minecraft Movie' has led this year's domestic box office to a total of $4.1 billion in U.S. ticket sales for the first six months of 2025, a marked improvement from last year—though the biggest global film success was the Chinese blockbuster 'Ne Zha 2,' which earned a staggering $1.9 billion on its own.
Audiences line up for "Ne Zha 2," which became a smash hit in China. (Photo by Ma Ping/Xinhua via ... More Getty Images) Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
There's just over $4.1 billion in total gross at North American theaters between January 1 and June 29, according to data shared with Forbes by Comscore.
The box office total for 2025 so far is 15.5% higher than the $3.5 billion grossed at this point last year, according to Comscore data, thanks largely to a strong spring moviegoing season (April and May 2025 grossed 90% more than April and May 2024).
The ever-growing 'Hunger Games' franchise propelled Suzanne Collins' 'Sunrise on the Reaping,' released in March, to the top of this year's best-selling fiction books lists, according to data shared with Forbes by Circana BookScan.
This year's best-selling nonfiction book so far, according to Circana, is John Green's 'Everything Is Tuberculosis,' the second nonfiction work by Green, known for novels like 'The Fault in Our Stars.'
Of all the songs released in 2025 to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year so far, Sabrina Carpenter's 'Manchild' appears to be the biggest, boasting more than 126 million Spotify streams.
(From Jan. 1 - June 26, according to Circana BookScan) 'Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)' by Suzanne Collins: 1,667,012 books sold 'Onyx Storm (Deluxe Limited Edition)' by Rebecca Yarros: 1,614,239 books sold 'The Crash' by Frieda McFadden: 410,225 books sold 'Great Big Beautiful Life' by Emily Henry: 335,020 books sold 'Fearless' by Lauren Roberts: 320,759 books sold Top Nonfiction Book Sales
(From From Jan. 1 - June 26, according to Circana BookScan) 'Everything Is Tuberculosis: the History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection' by John Green: 162,621 units sold 'The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More' by Jefferson Fisher: 137,003 units sold 'Abundance' by Ezra Klein: 135,558 units sold 'The House of My Mother: a Daughter's Quest For Freedom' by Shari Franke: 101,432 units sold 'Careless People: a Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism' by Sarah Wynn-Williams: 97,632 units sold Top 10 Movies Of 2025 (domestic)
According To Box Office Mojo 'A Minecraft Movie': $423,941,548 'Lilo & Stitch': $400,019,803 'Sinners': $278,036,257 'Captain America: Brave New World': $200,500,001 'How To Train Your Dragon': $200,250,960 'Thunderbolts*': $189,796,527 'Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning': $186,001,201 'Final Destination: Bloodlines': $136,739,975 'Mufasa: The Lion King': $126,423,748 'Dog Man': $97,970,355 Top 10 Movies Of 2025 (worldwide)
According To Box Office Mojo 'Ne Zha 2': $1,899,639,136 'A Minecraft Movie': $954,441,548 'Lilo & Stitch': $945,919,803 'Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning': $562,001,201 'How To Train Your Dragon': $456,084,960 'Captain America: Brave New World': $415,101,577 'Thunderbolts*': $381,670,701 'Sinners': $364,536,257 'Final Destination: Bloodlines': $283,239,975 'Snow White': $205,679,463
According to Spotify streams 'Manchild' by Sabrina Carpenter: 126,823,256 streams '4x4' by Travis Scott: 121,802,187 'What I Want' by Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae: 97,143,569 streams How Does This Year's Box Office Compare To Previous Years?
Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Comscore, told Forbes that 2025 could be the best year for movies since the industry was rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Hollywood labor strikes of 2023. Though this year's box office is performing better than 2024, it is still behind the 2019 box office by about 26%, according to Comscore data. Dergarabedian said the first quarter of 2025 was slightly underwhelming because of the lack of blockbusters released in December that could have carried over into this year. He said the box office has had built up momentum since April, when 'A Minecraft Movie' overwhelmingly beat box office expectations and 'Sinners' became a word-of-mouth hit, which he noted is an original movie not connected to an existing franchise, unlike most other box office hits this year. Dergarabedian said the second half of the year is stacked with potential blockbusters, including 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' 'Superman' and 'Avatar: Fire and Ash.' Tangent
'Sunrise on the Reaping,' a prequel novel to the 'Hunger Games' book series written by Collins, has had a film adaptation in development since before the book was released. Film studio Lionsgate has already been working to build hype for the film, slated to release in 2026, by revealing the cast one at a time in social media posts since April. Australian actor Joseph Zada stars as a younger version of Haymitch Abernathy, the protagonist of 'Sunrise on the Reaping' who participates in the 50th Hunger Games. Other cast members include Elle Fanning as a younger Effie Trinket, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow and Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman. How Did 'ne Zha 2' Become A Smash Hit Overseas?
The Chinese film 'Ne Zha 2' became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time this year—with little help from the United States. The animated film is a sequel to 'Ne Zha,' a box office hit released in 2019, and its main character is based on the Chinese mythological character Nezha. 'Ne Zha 2' became an immediate smash hit in China upon release in January, and about a month later, took the crown from 'Inside Out 2' as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Only about $20 million of 'Ne Zha 2''s total gross is from U.S. theaters, according to Box Office Mojo, which lists 'Ne Zha 2' as the eighth highest-grossing film of all time. Much of its gross comes from Chinese theaters, and multiple outlets reported more than 300 million tickets have been sold in China, a staggering total equaling about one-fifth of China's population. The film was helped with its release coinciding with the Lunar New Year period, when people had time off from work, and China's effort to build more movie theaters, Deadline reported, adding that support for the film became a source of national pride. Government subsidies helped fund about $80 million in movie tickets, Deadline reported, adding some companies gave employees the day off to go see the movie. The film's basis on a traditional Chinese story and its appeal to all generations helped the film connect with audiences, Chinese film critic Raymond Zhou told the New York Times. The success of 'Ne Zha 2' comes as Chinese interest in Hollywood films wanes, with only 'Godzilla x Kong' ranking in the top 10 at the Chinese box office last year, CNBC reported. Further Reading
'Sinners' Will Barely Drop From Opening Gross In Its Second Weekend As Movie Continues To Defy Projections (Forbes)
Who's Who in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' Cast (The Hollywood Reporter)