- The 2019 box office had big highs ("Avengers: Endgame") and sinking lows ("The Goldfinch").
- It resulted in the domestic box office being down 4% compared to the record-breaking $11.88 billion figure of 2018.
- Here are the winners and losers at this year's box office, from Disney to STXfilms.
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2019 was a feast or famine year at the box office, as studios doubled down on event blockbusters and some smaller titles became historic duds. It all resulted in the domestic box office taking in $11.45 billion for the year, a 4% decline from 2018's record-breaking tally of $11.88 billion.
For a year that was expected to be even bigger than 2018 with the output from Disney ("Avengers: Endgame," "The Lion King," "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"), and other event titles that included "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," "Dark Phoenix," "Men in Black: International," and "Cats" (none of which did anything at the box office), the result is concerning for an industry that sees streaming services hot on its tail.
What 2018 had that 2019 lacked were enough titles that performed beyond expectations ("A Star Is Born," "A Quiet Place," "The Meg") to add onto the event releases ("Black Panther," "Avengers: Infinity War," "Deadpool 2"). In 2019, if a title came out that audience wanted to see ("Avengers: Endgame," "Spider-Man: Far from Home") they came out in droves. Anything else and they stayed home.
But that doesn't mean there weren't any surprises. A number of original titles found box-office glory, and the origin story of a DC Comics villain had the industry in awe.
Here are the winners and losers of the 2019 box office: