Courtesy of the Office of the Governor of California
Gavin Newsom wants to add above-the-line pay, a $100m independent film pot and a 5% bonus for multi-project commitments, and to run the scheme to 2040.
Courtesy of SANFIC Industria / La Caracola Films
Takings are up an estimated 20% and level with 2017–19 in dollars, but cinemas sell far fewer tickets. Korea, Brazil and Saudi Arabia grew on attendance; India mostly on price.
Read the analysis: Box office outside North America and China is back in dollars, not tickets. Who’s winning?Takings vs tickets
Takings rose faster than tickets in every market with like-for-like figures
Change on the previous year in takings and in tickets sold. Each market is compared over its own period.
TakingsTickets
South KoreaJan–Sep 2026
Brazilto 23 Sep 2026
Saudi Arabia2025
Worldwide2025
India is not shown: industry takings rose 23% in July–September, but the only ticket count published for the quarter is PVR INOX’s (+4%), so the two are not like-for-like.
Sources: KOFIC; Ancine, compiled for RioMarket; Saudi Film Commission, via Argaam; European Audiovisual Observatory’s Focus 2026, via KOFIC
Read the analysis| Market | Takings | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea (Jan–Sep 2026) | +35.9% | +28.8% |
| Brazil (to 23 Sep 2026) | +25.1% | +19.2% |
| Saudi Arabia (2025) | +9% | +7% |
| Worldwide (2025) | +5.4% | +2.8% |
More analysis
Photo: Nielsoncaetanosalmeron / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Skydance and Netflix job cuts, Hello Sunshine’s reported layoffs: where does the money go?Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Prime Video says it pays its way. Japan is where Amazon is testing what it buys nextCourtesy of Bitters End. © 2025 Barunson E&A, Semosi, Vol Media
Who is actually taking films to audiences?
A24’s three-hour documentary and Warner Bros’ DC spin-off are about $200,000 apart on studio estimates, as takings fall to one of the lowest totals of 2026.
The 67th Thessaloniki festival screens 258 films from 5 to 15 November, with 10 titles in its main competition and 14 projects at its co-production forum.
The 110 sq m stage feeds footage to iQIYI’s NadouPro platform and nearly 30 AI models. Budget, cast and release date for the first film are not disclosed.
Buddy Marini gave no figure at TIFFCOM but said bigger budgets are needed to take Japanese IP such as The Apothecary Diaries to a global Prime Video audience.
The Homer adaptation has overtaken Furious 7 while taking less than a third as much in China. The UK and Ireland, China and South Korea are its biggest markets.
The Homer adaptation has overtaken Furious 7 while taking less than a third as much in China. The UK and Ireland, China and South Korea are its biggest markets.
The Homer adaptation has overtaken Furious 7 while taking less than a third as much in China. The UK and Ireland, China and South Korea are its biggest markets.
A first feature about a mother fighting to win back her son from state care took best film and five other awards at the 63rd Antalya Golden Orange festival.
The Homer adaptation has overtaken Furious 7 while taking less than a third as much in China. The UK and Ireland, China and South Korea are its biggest markets.
The number
$15.1bn
Estimated takings outside North America and China, January–September 2026: up 20% and level with the 2017–19 average at current exchange rates
The diary
Coming up: markets, festivals, release dates
Festival
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival & Golden Horse AwardsFestival
Tallinn Black Nights Film FestivalFestival
Camerimage, ToruńMarket
Industry@Tallinn & Baltic EventMarket
American Film Market, Los AngelesRelease
The World of Love opens in JapanWeekday mornings. Five stories from every territory, and our reading of them.
One researched analysis of the companies, deals and routes to audiences behind the week’s news.
