Ziffren Sees Box Office Rebound Ahead

Entertainment lawyer Ken Ziffren's annual industry speech highlighted AI, tax credits, mergers, and a strengthening box office outlook.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Film — General

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of empty theater seats and a projection beam angled toward a blank screen, in deep red, cream, and black. — Entertainment lawyer Ken Ziffren told industry peers the box office is headed for its best year stateside and globally since 2019, projecting $10 billion domestic receipts. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think the movie industry is getting better or worse overall?

Ken Ziffren delivered his annual industry speech to entertainment lawyers, addressing artificial intelligence, tax credits, mergers and acquisitions, and the box office. The box office is headed to its best year stateside and globally since 2019, with projected domestic receipts of $10 billion and global receipts near $36 billion.

Why it matters

The projected rebound signals renewed financial health for film studios after years of disruption, while AI and proposed federal tax incentives could reshape production costs and where movies are made in the United States.

Projected domestic box office is $10 billion and global is near $36 billion, with wide releases rising to 94 this year from 75 in 2024. Studios tend to lose money on films costing under $70 million outside of horror, and the projections come from a speaker's industry outlook rather than audited results.

The players

Ken Ziffren

Ken Ziffren is a prominent Los Angeles entertainment lawyer whose annual industry speeches are closely followed across Hollywood.

Bob Iger

Bob Iger is the former longtime chief executive of The Walt Disney Company who has since become an investor in sports franchises.

Josh Kushner

Josh Kushner is a venture capitalist and founder of Thrive Capital who co-invested with Bob Iger in the Los Angeles Lakers stake.

The details

Ziffren said studios pivoted to a day-and-date release model during Covid when theaters were closed, and a pay one window can generate as much as $250 million in licensing revenue. He also argued that the proposed MPTER Act would boost production jobs stateside and add $10 billion to the industry, and that AI will lower pre-production, production, and post-production costs.

2025: Ziffren's prior speech focused on labor issues and AI concerns.
2023: AI was a major issue in Hollywood labor disputes.
August 2026: Bob Iger and Josh Kushner bought a stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion.
November 15, 2026: A court hearing on the Buss family dispute is set in downtown Los Angeles.
End of 2026: Ziffren hopes the federal tax credit passes by this point.

Industry Dynamics

The proposed MPTER Act places the federal tax credit debate at the center of the ongoing competition with foreign production incentives that has drawn runaway productions abroad. Ziffren's projections link that policy to a broader recovery in theatrical box office that the industry has been working to restore since the pandemic.

If the MPTER Act passes, more films could be shot in the United States, which may expand the number of wide releases audiences see in theaters. Projected box office growth would also affect how many movies reach cinemas near viewers.

The takeaway

Industry projections point to a theatrical rebound, but the size and durability of that recovery will depend on whether federal tax incentives and AI-driven cost cuts materialize as forecast.

What happens next

Congressional committees in the Senate and House will consider the MPTER Act, and a court hearing on the Buss family dispute is set for November 15, 2026.