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Industry Studios, festivals, awards, release strategies and box office vocabulary.

Box Office Mojo: Meaning & Definition in Film

A website providing detailed box office revenue statistics and analysis.

  • 4 sections
  • 1 min read
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Definition and Scope

Box Office Mojo is an online portal that tracks box office gross data for films globally. It offers daily, weekend and lifetime box office figures, production budgets, release schedules and comparative rankings across genres, franchises and territories. Its comprehensive database covers major studio blockbusters, independent releases and international markets.

Origins and Development

Founded in 1999 by Brandon Gray, Box Office Mojo began as a fan-run project consolidating publicly available box office numbers. By leveraging manual research and early web scraping, the site quickly became a go-to resource for industry professionals and enthusiasts. In 2008, IMDb acquired Box Office Mojo, integrating its data into IMDbPro and expanding its infrastructure. Over time, the platform introduced advanced features such as historical comparisons, inflation adjustments and interactive charts.

Features and Methodology

  • Daily and Weekend Reports: Detailed day-by-day grosses for theatrical runs.
  • International Data: Breakdown of revenues by country and region.
  • Budget and Profitability: Estimates of production budgets and box office ROI calculations.
  • Franchise Tracking: Aggregated earnings for film series and cinematic universes.

Data is sourced from studio reports, trade publications and industry databases, then verified and standardized. Users can filter by release year, distributor, genre and MPAA rating.

Box Office Mojo: Industry Impact

Box Office Mojo democratized access to box office analytics, empowering journalists, analysts and fans to track performance metrics in real time. Its transparent data fostered deeper understanding of market trends, influenced greenlighting decisions and provided context for box office records. Although subscription services now offer proprietary analytics, Box Office Mojo remains an essential free resource for anyone seeking accurate, historical and comparative box office information.

See the vocabulary at work in real films

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More Film Industry & Awards Terms

Entries filed on the same shelf as Box Office Mojo, each with the one-line answer first. They are the words that usually come up in the same conversation.

All 835 terms

  • Un Certain Regard

    Un Certain Regard is a prestigious sidebar section of the Cannes Film Festival that showcases films with unique styles and non-traditional narratives.

  • MPA

    The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is the trade association that represents the major film studios and streaming services, serving as their chief global advocate and administering the U.S. film rating system.

  • IFCO

    The IFCO (Irish Film Classification Office) is the state body responsible for classifying films and video games in Ireland.

  • Coffee Run

    A 'coffee run' is a classic task for a Production Assistant, involving taking complex coffee and food orders from senior crew or cast and delivering them back to set.

  • Cultural Consultant

    A Cultural Consultant is a subject matter expert hired by a film production to advise on and ensure the authentic, accurate, and respectful portrayal of a specific culture, community, or historical period.

  • DGA Hold

    A 'DGA Hold' is a contractual hold placed on a director who is a member of the Directors Guild of America, preventing them from accepting other work while a studio finalizes their deal.