By Jon Scarr
Cineplex has released its November 2025 box office results, showing $43.8 million in theatrical revenue for the month. The company also provided updated Q4 comparisons, demonstrating box office performance tracking at 89 percent of the same period last year. While the overall numbers came in slightly below 2024, the month still brought major wins in franchise openings and premium format demand.
The highlight reel began with Predator: Badlands. It delivered the strongest opening weekend in the franchise’s history and became the top-grossing entry in the series. The company noted that 76.6 percent of its box office revenue came through premium formats, like IMAX, UltraAVX, and VIP screens, underscoring how much audiences continue to seek upgraded theatrical experiences.
Blockbusters Driving November Attendance
Cineplex pointed to several films contributing to momentum throughout the month.
Wicked: For Good surpassed the opening of its previous installment from last year and delivered the second biggest domestic opening of 2025. Zootopia 2 (read our review) became the largest animated debut of the year and even outperformed its original film, which went on to cross the billion-dollar mark globally.
Rounding out the top four releases was Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, distributed by Cineplex Pictures.
Cineplex noted that while Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 outperformed last year’s Wicked and Moana 2 in Canada, November 2024 had the exceptional pull of Gladiator II, which set a tougher comparison point for year-over-year tracking.
Major Films Still to Hit Screens
Cineplex President and CEO Ellis Jacob said the company continues attracting audiences across demographics, driven by sci-fi, musicals, animation, and premium screens. He pointed to momentum heading into December, led by one of the most anticipated films of the year, Avatar: Fire and Ash, followed by The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, The Housemaid, and Anaconda.
That slate gives Cineplex confidence heading toward the end of Q4.
Chart Summary From Today’s Report
The company included a financial breakdown comparing 2024 and 2025 revenue in thousands of dollars:
- October: $34.0M in 2024 vs. $29.9M in 2025 (88%)
- November: $48.9M in 2024 vs. $43.8M in 2025 (90%)
- Q4 to date: $83.0M in 2024 vs. $73.7M in 2025 (89%)
While slightly below last year’s pace, November’s lineup clearly helped fuel renewed cinema attendance.
Cineplex Reflections for December
As someone who still enjoys going to the theatre, I notice how big movies change the energy inside those spaces. When Predator: Badlands opened, the premium screens near me were buzzing. Even late Sunday shows had crowds. It reminded me that people still want the event feel of a night out with giant sound, reclining seats, and popcorn that somehow disappears before the trailers end.
Cineplex banking on those tentpole releases and premium showings appears to be working. It is the kind of approach where you really see the difference in person, especially when a movie everyone talks about hits. December should test that again with Avatar returning to the screen. I am already curious to see if that same rush happens in the lobby lines.
As for me, I am torn between Avatar and the new SpongeBob movie as my most anticipated films for the rest of 2025. Avatar feels like the kind of big screen event you plan around because it just hits differently in a theatre.
SpongeBob is a different story entirely. My whole family is excited for that one. My kids grew up on SpongeBob and they still love him to this day, so it has become one of those shared things we look forward to together. Even the current Burger King promo has them talking about it more than I expected. So it might come down to who I am heading out with and whether we want spectacle or laughs. Either way, it is nice having movies that feel worth leaving the house for.
What about you? Which movie are you planning to see first?
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