box office

Meaning

The place at a theater or cinema where tickets are sold. It is also widely used to refer to the commercial success of a movie in terms of the money it generates from ticket sales.

Examples

• You can buy tickets online or directly at the box office.

  You can buy tickets online or directly at the box office.

• The new superhero movie was a massive hit at the box office.

  The new superhero movie was a massive hit at the box office.

• Despite poor reviews, the film did surprisingly well at the box office.

  Despite poor reviews, the film did surprisingly well at the box office.

• Please meet me near the box office fifteen minutes before the show starts.

  Please meet me near the box office fifteen minutes before the show starts.

• The historical drama turned out to be a box office disappointment.

  The historical drama turned out to be a box office disappointment.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The movie made a lot of money in the ticket office.

  ✓ The movie made a lot of money at the box office.

  While 'ticket office' is used for trains or buses, 'box office' is the specific term used for entertainment events, theaters, and cinemas.

• ✗ We bought our cinema tickets from the box desk.

  ✓ We bought our cinema tickets from the box office.

  The standard English collocation is 'box office', not 'box desk' or 'ticket counter' when referring to theaters.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The new animated film broke several ___ records during its opening weekend.

  💡 A term referring to the commercial sales and success of a movie.

  Show answer

  box office

• If you don't book online, you will have to queue at the ___.

  💡 The physical place where tickets are sold at a theater.

  Show answer

  box office