Cat Box Office Mojo

photo credit: ScypaxPictures (unmodified)

Cats purchased 45% more movie tickets in 2016 compared to all of 2015. Some analysts attribute this to increasingly plush, scratchable theatre seats. Others say it's because of the rise in theatre rodent population. The truth though, is that cats enjoy seeing themselves represented on the big screen.

In the past three months alone, we've seen a cat cop in Zootopia, Shere Khan the tiger in The Jungle Book, and Keanu in Keanu. Feline audiences flocked to all three films. Coincidence? Hollywood studio heads don't think so, as they rush to give cats roles that would too often go to humans. Plotlines are even being rewritten to accurately portray the cultural experiences of cats. Just look at these upcoming films:

The Purge: Catmageddon: One night each year, all dog-on-cat crime becomes legal and vet services go dark. So when impetuous teenage cats Smokey and Whiskers get stranded on the rottweiler side of town, they're forced to do whatever it takes to make it till morning.

Cat-fe Society: Woody Allen's latest film is a comic exploration of Boots, a neurotic young cat with a penchant for 1930's jazz music. When he's not sharing his litter box anxiety with his psychiatrist, he's dwelling on his fear of losing all nine lives.

Finding Dory's Cat: This Finding Nemo spinoff raises many questions. Where is Dory the fish? Where is her cat? Why does a fish have a cat?

Cat Bourne: Mr. Mittens barely remembers his past, when he was raised in a shoebox and trained to be the ultimate feline assassin. Now on the run, he's taking out all the humans who wronged him, wielding his nails like his life depended on it. Watch out, bad guys. This kitten's got claws.