Cinema advertising growth is backed by hard data: PwC forecasts a US$39.5bn BO by 2030, and the MVM circuit posts a fourth year of Q2 gains
Cinema is entering its strongest stretch in years, and the forecasts now confirm what the box office has been signalling all summer.
According to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026–2030, global box office revenue is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 3.5%, reaching $39.5 billion by 2030, with cinema advertising forecast to grow alongside it. The report identifies live, shared experiences as one of the defining growth stories of the next five years: the more digital daily life becomes, the more audiences seek out real-world moments they can experience together. Cinema is at the heart of this transition, with exhibitors globally investing in premium formats, luxurious seating, and immersive sound to enhance the experience that only the big screen can provide.
The Box Office is Already Proving the Point
The growth story is not theoretical. According to Gower Street Analytics, 2026 has just delivered the highest grossing month (June), second quarter (Q2) and first half (H1) of the decade for the domestic and international (excluding China) markets combined. Q2 grossed $7.85 billion globally, the best quarter since 2019, while the global first-half total excluding China reached $14 billion, running 17% ahead of the same period last year. Gower Street now projects the 2026 global box office at $34.7 billion, a third consecutive year of growth.
What makes the moment especially encouraging is the breadth of it. June was led by Toy Story 5 with $630 million, while original horror phenomenon Obsession climbed to $378 million and A24’s Backrooms to $336 million. Meanwhile, Michael has crossed $979 million to become the highest grossing biopic of all time, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer. Audiences are not turning up for one event film; they are returning week after week across genres.
The Regional Picture Is Even Stronger
Closer to home, the momentum mirrors the global story. CineMeasure data shows the Motivate Val Morgan circuit recorded over 12 million admissions in the second quarter of 2026, up 2.1% year on year and marking a fourth consecutive year of second-quarter growth, led by Egypt at +9.2%, Saudi Arabia at +7.4% and Kuwait at +6.9%. The week of 28 May delivered 1.47 million admissions, the circuit’s biggest single week in two years. In total, first-half admissions across the circuit reached close to 17 million, broadly in line with last year despite regional headwinds, with the trajectory strengthening as the summer slate arrives.
And the pipeline ahead is loaded. July alone brings Minions & Monsters, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Moana and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, with Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday still to come, a slate built to keep audiences returning through the end of the year.
What This Means for Advertisers
Growing admissions mean growing audiences, and cinema delivers them in conditions no other environment can replicate: a captive, attentive audience, a giant screen, immersive sound and a premium, brand-safe setting. The first half of 2026 also proved cinema’s resilience — even amid regional headwinds, audiences kept returning to the big screen, and the circuit closed the period with its strongest quarter on record since the pandemic. When a medium is growing globally, breaking records regionally and holding its audience through uncertainty, it has earned its place at the top of the media plan.
To plan your next campaign on the big screen, get in touch with our team today.
Source: PwC Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026–2030; Gower Street Analytics; Cinema Advertising Growth Numbers from MVM CIneMeasure
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