Winners and losers at the summer box office

It’s Labor Day weekend, signifying the end of silly season in cinemas, so here’s the summer 2025 box office in review.

Aside from the odd major Christmas release, summer is when the major studios make most of their money at the box office, during a period running from the first Friday in May, through to Labor Day weekend.

Cinemas have been struggling since the global shutdown, and this year looks to be no different. $4 billion is considered a solid number for the summer period, but according to ComScore (and as per Deadline), 2025 totalled just $3.67 billion, which is 0.2% down on last summer’s $3.677 billion.

The season started strong, with May 2025 up on 2024 by a whopping 76%. But June, July, and August were all down by a collective 13%. So here’s what worked and what didn’t at the global box office…

Thunderbolts* (May 2) – LOSER

Disney

The first major superhero movie of the summer was also the most high-profile failure, in spite of the best reviews for a comic book movie in 2025.

Thunderbolts* collected together character from previous movies for a story about anti-heroes doing battle with one of the MCU’s most interesting villains in the shape of Bob Reynolds/Sentry/Void.

But it failed to connect with audiences, grossing just $382 million, and one wonders if Marvel should’ve gone with The New Avengers as a title, rather than bothering with the asterisk stuff.

Finale Destination: Bloodlines (May 16) – WINNER

Warner Bros.

It’s been a big year for horror, with Sinners packing them in during April, and the first Final Destination in more than a decade proving there was still life in the franchise in May.

Bloodlines did something different with the series by focussing on a family and generational trauma, and the change earned Bloodlines the best reviews in FD history.

That critical acclaim then translated into box office gold, with the film grossing more than $300 million from a $50 million budget, and re-animating a sleeping giant.

Lilo & Stitch (May 23) – WINNER

Disney

Snow White’s box office failure in March – grossing less than it cost – could have signalled the end for Disney’s live-action remakes.

But the sub-genre was back with a bang in May, thanks to Lilo & Stitch, which opened with a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend gross of $182.6 million.

The family film then became the undisputed box office king of summer 2025, thanks to a $1.034 billion haul, from a reported budget of just $100 million.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (May 23) – WINNER

Paramount

The final Mission: Impossible movie opened opposite Lilo & Stitch – making it this year’s Barbenheimer – and ultimately, Ethan Hunt was battered into submission by the lovable alien.

Reviews were generally good, and audiences flocked to see the apparent final film in the franchise, as well as to watch the crazy stunts with which the series would conclude.

But in spite of a $598 million gross, the movie cost a rumored $400m, meaning we’re being slightly generous with that ‘winner’ tag.

Captain America: Brave New World (May 28) – LOSER

Marvel Studios

Captain America: Brave New World was Anthony Mackie’s first standalone movie as the character, while the film underwent months of reshoots that resulted in the release date being pushed back a year.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the wait, with reviews negative pretty much across the board. Not even Harrisons Ford’s Red Hulk could turn the movie into a hit, with Brave New World doing $415 million from a $180 million budget.

Though for context, there are reports that the final budget was much higher than that, while the last Cap movie grossed over $1 billion; facts that make Brave New World an abject failure.

How to Train Your Dragon (June 13) – WINNER

Universal Pictures

Thanks to Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, 2015 was the summer of the live-action remake.

The original animated adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s beloved children’s novel is pretty much a perfect movie, making this new take feel a little pointless.

But it was helmed by the same director – Dean DeBlois – who he took the same care and attention with this version, and audience responded, to the tune of a whopping $629 million.

Elio (June 20) – LOSER

Disney/Pixar

Elio was a fun family adventure that played like ET in reverse, with a human kid going into space and befriending an alien kid rather than vice versa.

But in spite of pretty positive reviews, resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83%, Elio had the worst opening weekend in Pixar history.

And it didn’t get much better from there, with Elio ultimately grossing less than it cost.

F1 (June 27) – WINNER

Apple

F1 might not have made this most money this summer, but the sports movie was arguably the season’s biggest winner.

That’s because it was from a studio that doesn’t traditionally make blockbusters (Apple) and about a sport that isn’t big in America (Formula 1).

But Brad Pitt’s star power combined with some incredible race footage put the film in pole position, and it sped to more than $600 million, from a budget of less than half that.

Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2) – WINNER

Universal Pictures

The Jurassic movies are the gift that keeps giving for Universal, as even when reviews are terrible (we’re looking at you, Dominion) they make a fortune at the box office.

Rebirth was actually well received, with a new cast and characters – led by Scarlett Johansson – embraced by audiences to the tune of $855 million.

That made it the fourth highest grossing film of 2025 at the time of writing, with the dinosaurs easily outperforming the year’s superhero movies.

Superman (July 11) – WINNER

Superman made $611 million, which is an acceptable return for a movie that cost upwards of £225 million.

But success for this movie wasn’t just down to dollars, as Superman was also charged with the task of launching James Gunn’s DC Universe.

The film needed to introduce a Superman that audiences liked, and they loved David Corenwet’s Man of Steel. While it also needed to set the scene for multiple forthcoming movies and shows, which Gunn and his team successfully pulled off.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25) – WINNER

Marvel Studios

After the relative misfires of Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, Fantastic Four: First Steps also had several major jobs beyond making money.

The movie had to steady the ship, introduce Marvel’s First Family, and pave the way for the next Avengers saga.

It pulled all three of those tasks off, while at the same time becoming a hit, crossing the $500 million mark over Labor Day weekend.

Weapons (August 8) – WINNER

Warner Bros.

Following the sleeper success of Barbarian, writer-director Zach Cregger had offers from all over the place for his follow-up Weapons, including a lucrative Netflix deal.

But Cregger wanted a theatrical release, and was richly rewarded for going with New Line/Warner Bros. with the $38 million movie making $234 million in cinemas.

And its still going strong, returning to Number 1 in the US over Labor Day, and making Warner Bros. the big winners this summer, as well as the first studio to have six consecutive films open in the top spot with more than $40 million.

Check out our list of the best movies of the year so far or head here for new movies out this month. While if you’re after more box office action, here’s the 50 most successful movies of all-time.