The average ticket price jumped less than 1 percent to $7.93 last year, according to figures released Thursday by the National Association of Theater Owners.
That's still a record for ticket prices, besting last year's previous high of $7.89.
The four-cent increase is more modest than the 39-cent bump experienced last year as more 3D titles in the marketplace drove up costs for moviegoers. Theaters traditionally mark up the price of 3D films they screen.
Also read: Warning: Soaring Movie Ticket Prices Have Reached the Breaking Point
The even-better news is that for the final quarter of 2011, going to the movies actually got cheaper. Prices dropped to $7.83, down 1.3 percent from the previous quarter.
Here are NATO’s average ticket prices for the last 10 years:
2011: $7.93
2010: $7.89
2009: $7.50
2008: $7.18
2007: $6.88
2006: $6.55
2005: $6.41
2004: $6.21
2003: $6.03
2002: $5.80
2001: $5.65