June 2022 Movie Releases and Box Office Performance
The highest grossing film in June 2022 was Top Gun: Maverick, which earned an estimated 1.48 billion dollars worldwide by the end of the month, according to industry tracking data. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was released in theaters on May 27, 2022, continuing to dominate the box office throughout June. Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures, debuted in June 2022 and earned around 316 million dollars in its first five days of release globally. The Batman, released by Warner Bros. Pictures in March 2022, remained among the top ten films at the global box office during June 2022 with cumulative earnings exceeding 770 million dollars. For more details on studio performance and box office trends, see the latest report from Forbes on summer 2022 movie revenue.
Disney's lightyear, released on June 17, 2022, opened to 204 million dollars worldwide but underperformed relative to studio expectations. DC Studios released Black Adam in late October 2022, so it was not part of the June 2022 box office. Minions: The Rise of Gru, which premiered in July 2022, was also absent from the June 2022 domestic chart. According to Comscore data, total U.S. box office receipts for June 2022 were lower than June 2021, reflecting a mix of new releases and holdovers from earlier in the year.
Streaming and Studio Strategy in June 2022
Top Gun: Maverick was released exclusively in theaters by Paramount Pictures, with no same day streaming debut, a strategy credited with boosting its box office legs through June 2022. Universal Pictures released Jurassic World Dominion simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock after a 45 day theatrical window, reflecting a hybrid release model that was common among major studios in 2022. Disney released lightyear exclusively in theaters, abandoning its earlier plan for a streaming first strategy, and the film's performance was closely watched as a test of theatrical demand for Pixar titles. Warner Bros. continued its 2021 strategy of same day HBO Max and theater releases for 2022 films, though several high profile titles, including The Batman, had already completed their theatrical runs before June 2022.
Amazon Studios acquired the distribution rights for the film Air, a documentary about Nike and the 1984 Dream Team, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2022 and was released theatrically and on Prime Video in June 2022. Netflix, which had shifted away from theatrical releases in 2022, did not have a major June 2022 theatrical release, instead focusing on its original series and films for the platform. For background on studio streaming and theatrical strategies, see the SEC filings and investor presentations from major entertainment companies.
Key June 2022 Movie Releases by Studio
Paramount Pictures led the June 2022 box office with Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Connelly. The film was produced by Skydance Media and Paramount Pictures and received strong critical praise, holding a high audience score on review aggregation platforms. Universal Pictures released Jurassic World Dominion, the third film in the Jurassic World trilogy, directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Laura Dern. Disney released lightyear, the Pixar animated origin story for Buzz Lightyear, directed by Angus MacLane and starring Chris Evans as the voice of the character.
Amazon Studios released Air, a documentary directed by Ben Aff