Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box morning news and talk program to go over holiday box office results and the miraculous end-of-year recovery in moviegoing. One notable point was the strong performance of Disney’s MUFASA: THE LION KING, which was the #1 movie on Christmas Day.
The conversation also turned to the 12/25 opening of Focus Feature’s Bob Dylan biopic A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, starring Timothee Chalamet as the famous singer, guitarist, and songwriter.
The business focus of the program brought the conversation to annual box office totals, which Comscore predicts will wind up at $8.75B in ticket sales across the 5,500 movie theatres in the U.S. and Canada. The conversation then turned to the future, with a slate of new, high-profile movies on the 2025 release calendar.
DC’s SUPERMAN reboot, the upcoming MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE sequel, l, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: A BRAVE NEW WORLD were all cited.
CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin also asked about the impact of Netflix and other streaming platforms on movie theatres and moviegoing. Dergarabedian’s take was that streaming and theatres are often complementary to each other, with streaming services helping to build and maintain interest over time in characters, movies, and franchises but with a heightened “cultural moment” coming only from a traditional run in theatres, where the movie can be enjoyed on the big screen with friends, family, and the wider community.
Comscore plays a valuable role as an advocate for movies and the movie industry, providing information and interviews to the media on newsworthy topics that break through to the general public consciousness. There is heightened press interest during periods of peak moviegoing, such as the end-of-year holidays and the summer blockbuster season.
Significant “events” such as last year’s simultaneous July 21st releases of BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER, a.k.a. BARBENHEIMER have also increased interest in what’s playing at the movies.