Here’s What We Think About The Janaury 2025 U.S-Canada Box Office Potential ( Photo Credit – Instagram; Wikimedia )
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Can January 2025 really kickstart a box office comeback? With 2024 still in the rearview mirror, the stakes are high. The U.S./Canada box office could reach $10B this year, marking a 12% increase over 2024. But who knows, January might have the magic touch to set the tone right.
If the early months of 2025 have any hope of bouncing back, January has the potential to pull in about $600 million. Not a blockbuster number by any stretch but historically, the month would’ve been aiming for a solid $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. But this is progress. It’s a 16% bump over January 2024’s totals, which isn’t bad at all, considering how tough 2024 was on the big screen.
And December? It pulled its weight, giving the box office a little boost to close the year. A combo of strong November films like Wicked (Universal) and Moana 2 (Disney), plus the Christmas rush with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Paramount) and Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney), helped December hit the $1 billion mark. The final quarter of 2024 wasn’t a complete bust either, picking up some serious steam after a dismal first half when grosses had fallen 20% from 2023.
As the new year dawns, holdovers from the holidays will likely contribute to two-thirds of January’s total. But with no big $100 million+ openers expected (we’re not looking at another Bad Boys for Life or Glass just yet), the rest of the month’s releases will need to step up to the plate.
Enter Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (Lionsgate), which hits theaters on January 10. Don’t expect a John Wick-level opening—maybe $15 million at best—but it’ll help keep things ticking along. Then, things pick up on January 17 with a major release that has all the makings of a box office hero: Wolf Man (Universal), directed by Leigh Whannell. Whannell, whose The Invisible Man was a surprise hit right before theaters shut down in 2021, returns with a dark and thrilling take on the classic monster. Could Wolf Man be the standout of the month? It’s got a real shot.
That same day, One of Them Days (Sony), a comedy starring Keke Palmer, rolls out. The catch? No one’s seen it yet. Yep, those January releases are always a bit of a gamble. Next up is Flight Risk (Lionsgate), with Mel Gibson directing for the first time since Hacksaw Ridge and Mark Wahlberg in the lead. This could be a sleeper hit, especially given the action-thriller vibes.
And let’s not forget Dog Man (Universal), an animated gem from DreamWorks hitting theaters January 24. It’s the first big family film of the year and families? They’ve always got the box office on lock. Plus, Companion (Warner Bros. Discovery), a thriller set to drop on January 31, might add some extra buzz to close out the month.
January will also see its usual expansion of December’s limited releases, like The Brutalist (A24) and Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM). Expect some Oscar talk here, but these aren’t exactly box-office juggernauts.
