Family films have roared back from a pandemic slump fuelled by a series of hits aimed at parents and children. The return to popularity is also good news for the toy licensing industry which can expect to have a further boost across 2025.
According to The Times, a decade or more of superhero stardom is finally being overtaken by the wider genre. A range of 2024 hit films showcase the specifics of the return to form. For example. the year’s biggest movie, Pixar’s Inside Out 2, made $1.7 billion worldwide.
The success of films such as Moana 2 have also shown that the pandemic slump is officially over and a new saviour of the box office has returned to Hollywood.
Despicable Me 4 grossed $968 million, while Moana 2 was released over the US Thanksgiving holiday in November, shattering holiday records in North America with a massive $225 million opening
Despicable Me 4 grossed $968 million, while Moana 2 was released over the US Thanksgiving holiday in November, shattering holiday records in North America with a massive $225 million opening.
The Broadway adaptation of Wicked, another film aimed at families, has made $634 million worldwide while Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to 1994’s The Lion King, recovered from a slow start following its release before Christmas and has generated $327 million in global box office receipts.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3, based on the video game character, was also released before Christmas and has already grossed $211 million worldwide.
The string of successes caps a remarkable turnaround for a genre that appeared in trouble. While all moviegoing suffered during the pandemic, family films were hardest hit.
David A Gross, who runs the film consultancy firm Franchise Entertainment Research, said family movies are likely to make about $6.85 billion this year, the highest since 2020.
Gross said: “Coming out of the pandemic, the studios have re-embraced the theatrical movie business,” Gross said, noting that Hollywood has successfully reestablished family movies as must-see events in cinemas. Watching a movie at a theatre is still the premium experience of that story, and for the studios, it’s the most profitable. The studios had to re-orient audiences back to theatres, and they’ve done that.”
Family films have advantages over rival forms of entertainment competing for parents’ time and money.
