The Telegraph
Hollywood box office revenue plunges 80pc as coronavirus devastates US cinema
Hollywood movies suffered an unprecedented 80 per cent slump in box office revenue in North America in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic closed cinemas and studios held back the release of scores of new films. Research firm Comscore said in an end-of-year report on Tuesday that the North American box office brought in $2.2 billion (about £1.6 billion) in 2020, compared with $11.4 billion for 2019. The 2020 revenue marked an almost 40-year low, according to historical data from Box Office Mojo. The lowest previous take for North American box office receipts was 1981, with a total of $918 million, in a year when Superman II was the biggest film. Comscore did not release worldwide data for 2020, but Variety said global returns slumped some 71 per cent. The pandemic forced cinemas to close around the world in mid-March, bringing some small and big chains like AMC Entertainment – and the UK’s Cineworld – to the brink of bankruptcy. Cinemas have still to reopen in the biggest US markets of Los Angeles and New York City. Read more: Has Hollywood reached The End?
