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New Report: 2019 Global Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Surpasses $100 Billion for First Time Ever

March 12, 2020

Global Box Office Continues Climb to $42.2 Billion; Digital Drives 14 percent Overall Growth in Global Home/Mobile Entertainment to $58.8 Billion

76 percent of U.S./Canada Population Went to the Cinema at Least Once in 2019; Young People, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian Population Lead Per Capita Attendance

New Mobile Viewing Data Finds that more than 85 percent of Children and 55 percent of Adults Watch Movies and TV Shows on Mobile Devices

WASHINGTON — The global entertainment market in 2019 topped $100 billion USD for the first time ever, reaching $101 billion, according to a new report released today by the Motion Picture Association. The 2019 international box office also surpassed $30 billion USD for the first time. Meanwhile, global home/mobile entertainment continued its explosive growth, reaching $58.8 billion.

“The film, television, and streaming industry continues to transform at breakneck pace, and this report shows that audiences are the big winners,” said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association. “Most importantly, our industry continues to innovate and deliver great storytelling for movie and TV fans — where, when, and how they want it.”

The 2019 THEME Report is a comprehensive analysis and survey of the theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market environment. It provides in-depth analysis of how the film, television, and streaming content industry performed in 2019, as well as an audience demographic survey. This year’s expanded study includes new data on mobile viewing habits of audiences in the United States, including the frequency and time spent on mobile devices viewing film and television content.

The international box office, outside the U.S. and Canada, reached another record high at $30.8 billion. Eight markets had box office totals of $1 billion USD or more.

The U.S./Canada box office was $11.4 billion USD in 2019. More than three-quarters of the population, or 268 million people, went to the cinema at least once in 2019, which is slightly up from 2018 levels. Other important, domestic theatrical findings include:

  • Per capita attendance was highest among the 12-17 (4.9 tickets sold per person) and 18-24-year-old (4.7) age groups in 2019, proving that young people can drive box office success. It was also highest among the Hispanic/Latino (4.7) and Asian (4.1) ethnicity groups.
  • The gender composition of 2019 audiences was split evenly among men and women.
  • The typical moviegoer bought 4.6 tickets per year in 2019.

In 2019, the global home/mobile entertainment market reached $58.8 billion, representing a 14 percent increase compared to 2018. In the United States, it increased to $25.2 billion in 2019, up eight percent year over year. This growth has been driven by the digital market, with the U.S. market up 18 percent and the international market up 29 percent from 2018.

Other home/mobile entertainment findings include:

  • The number of subscriptions to online video services around the world increased to 863.9 million and in the United States to 237.2 million, a 28 percent and 26 percent increase from 2018, respectively.
  • More than 75 percent of adults watch movies and television shows on online subscription services.
  • More than 85 percent of children and more than 55 percent of adults watch movies and/or television shows on mobile devices.
  • Daily viewers of movies and/or television shows on mobile devices skew more heavily towards the 18-24 and 25-39-year-old age groups, as well as the Hispanic/Latino and African-American/Black ethnicity groups.

For a complete version of the report, please click here.

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About the Motion Picture Association

The Motion Picture Association, Inc. (MPA) serves as the global voice and advocate of the film, television, and streaming content industry. It works in every corner of the world to advance the creative industry, protect its members’ content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences everywhere and on any screen. 

The association’s members are: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Netflix, Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO.

For more information, contact:

Motion Picture Association – Washington, D.C.
Tom Zigo
Tom_Zigo@motionpictures.org
(202) 378-9110

Motion Picture Association – APAC

Stephen Jenner
stephen_jenner@motionpictures.org
+65 6253-1033