Skip to main content

The Force Awakens powers North American box office across the $11 billion mark

After hovering in the $10 billion range each year since 2009, the domestic box office finally broke $11 billion. Ticket sales reached the coveted milestone on Tuesday, December 29, making 2015 the biggest year in North American box-office history, according to Rentrak.

Having already surpassed $1 billion worldwideStar Wars: The Force Awakens helped the box office cross the threshold in the final days of the year. The frenzy-inspiring film was just one of numerous 2015 blockbusters, though. Earlier in the year, for example, Jurassic World set a plethora of ticket sales records, albeit not very long-lasting once The Force Awakens came along.

Recommended Videos

Compared to the previous year, the North American box office climbed by 7.2 percent in 2015. The increase came after a 5.2 percent decrease between 2014’s $10.36 billion and 2013’s $10.92 billion, the previous record. The fact that 2015 had so many hits provided massive momentum. As Variety points out, 2015’s top 10 films combined to bring in over $3.6 billion, nearly one-third of the year’s gross.

Hollywood built the perfect box-office beast in 2015, with one hit movie after the next, week after week, exceeding expectations with a regularity that made it look easy,” said Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian, in a press release. “A diverse and compelling selection of great titles, big and small, from every studio fueled an extraordinary level of interest by patrons who seemingly could not get enough of the big screen experience in 2015.”

Certain studios did have a bigger impact than others, though. Box Office Mojo indicates that Universal Pictures was the top earner of 2015, making up about 21.6 percent of the 2015 market share. Its hits included Jurassic World, Furious 7, Minions, and Pitch Perfect 2. Disney, with The Force AwakensAvengers: Age of Ultron, and more, wasn’t far behind with 19.2 percent. In third place, Warner Bros. reached 14.1 percent with American SniperSan Andreas, and Mad Max: Fury Road, among others.

Studios will be hard-pressed to outdo such a standout year in 2016, but with films like Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeCaptain America: Civil War, and the Ghostbusters remake coming, they’re certainly poised to try.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
If you have to watch one Netflix movie in July 2025, stream this one
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Finding the right movie to watch on Netflix can be difficult even if you have some idea of what you want to watch. Netflix has an algorithm that's supposed to surface the right stuff for you, but the streamer is also heavily invested in promoting its own new stuff.

So, if you're looking for a great movie to watch on the streamer, we'd recommend starting with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. This largely forgotten 2015 spy movie is adapted from a '60s TV show of the same name. Here are three reasons you should check it out:

Read more
Grow your movie collection with Amazon Prime Day’s 3-for-2 physical media promotion
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Physical media collectors, rejoice. This Amazon Prime Day deal is for you. Streaming services have undoubtedly improved the home viewing experience. The majority of movies are now available to stream with the click of a button. However, knowing which streaming service to watch said movie on can be a challenge. Due to licensing agreements, select movies are removed from streamers at the end of every month. Paying for multiple streaming services may not be financially feasible for some.

Shop all Amazon Prime Day deals now

Read more
3 great HBO Max crime dramas you should watch in July 2025
Frances McDormand in Blood Simple.

Although it’s had more than its fair share of branding issues over the years, HBO Max features an impressive library of movies across a wide array of genres. Because it owns decades of Warner Bros. classics, crime is a deep genre on the service.

We’ve pulled together three movies in that genre that are well worth your time. These movies range in decades and styles, but they’re also a reminder of just how many kinds of movies can fit into the brand descriptor of a crime movie. Check them out on HBO Max:

Read more