Movie Ticket Prices Rise to Highest Point Ever

Average movie ticket prices, now $8.73 as of this year’s second quarter, are at an all-time high, according to the exhibition lobbying firm the National Association of Theater Owners.

That’s up 1.7 percent from the first quarter of 2016, which averaged $8.58 per ticket.

The new price average also represents a 3.6 percent increase over all of 2015, which averaged $8.43 per ticket.

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But when you compare the new hike to just the same quarter a year ago, which had an average of $8.61, the increase is only 1.4 percent.

Ticket prices made a much higher jump in the first quarter this year — by 5.7 percent compared to 2015’s first quarter, from $8.12 in 2015 to $8.58 in 2016.

That, however, was not as high as average ticket prices were in the fourth quarter of 2015, when theatergoers were playing $8.70 on average — likely due to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” playing on specialty screens like IMAX and 3D.

36 Movies That Have Grossed $1 Billion Worldwide (Photos)

Billion-dollar movies aren't as rare as they used to be. Still, there aren't that many of them. See them all here:
Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox
"Incredibles 2" -- $1.00 billion and counting (Disney-Pixar, 2018)
"The Dark Knight" -- $1.00 billion (Warner Bros., 2008)
Warner Bros.
"Finding Dory" -- $1.02 billion (Disney-Pixar, 2016)

Also Read: 30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide
Disney-Pixar
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" -- $1.02 billion (Warner Bros., 2012)
Warner Bros./New Line
"Zootopia" -- $1.02 billion (Disney, 2016)

Also Read: ‘Zootopia’ Joins Elite $1 Billion Global Box Office Club
Disney Animation Studios
"Alice in Wonderland" -- $1.03 billion (Disney, 2010)
Disney
"Despicable Me 3" -- $1.03 billion (Universal, 2017)
"Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" -- $1.03 billion (20th Century Fox)
Fox/Lucasfilm
"Jurassic Park" -- $1.03 billion (Universal, 1993)
Universal
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" -- $1.05 billion (Disney, 2011)
Disney
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" -- $1.05 billion (Disney/Lucasfilm, 2016)
Disney
"Toy Story 3" -- $1.06 billion (Disney, 2010)
Disney/Pixar
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- $1.07 billion (Disney, 2006)
Disney
"The Dark Knight Rises" -- $1.08 billion (Warner Bros., 2012)
Warner Bros.
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" -- $1.10 billion (Paramount, 2014)
Paramount
"Skyfall" -- $1.11 billion (Sony, 2012)

Sony
"Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" -- $1.12 billion (New Line, 2003)
New Line
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" -- $1.12 billion (Paramount, 2011)
Paramount
"Captain America: Civil War" -- $1.15 billion (Disney, 2016)
Disney
"Minions" -- $1.16 billion (Universal, 2015)
Universal
"Iron Man 3" -- $1.22 billion (Disney, 2013)
Disney/Marvel
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" -- $1.23 billion (Universal, 2018)
"Beauty and the Beast" -- $1.26 billion (Disney, 2017)
"The Fate of the Furious" -- $1.26 billion (Universal, 2017)

Also Read: ‘The Fate of the Furious’ Revs Past $1 Billion Overseas
"Frozen" -- $1.28 billion (Disney, 2013)

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Walt Disney Animation
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" -- $1.33 billion (Disney/Lucasfilm, 2017)
"Black Panther" -- $1.33 billion (Disney/Marvel Studios, 2018)
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" -- $1.34 billion (Warner Bros., 2011)
Warner Bros.
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" -- $1.41 billion (Disney/Marvel Studios, 2015)
Disney/Marvel
"Furious 7" -- $1.52 billion (Universal, 2015)
Universal
"Marvel's The Avengers" -- $1.52 billion (Disney/Marvel Studios, 2012)
Disney/Marvel
"Jurassic World" -- $1.67 billion (Universal, 2015)
Universal
"Avengers: Infinity War" -- $2.04 billion (Disney/Marvel Studios, 2018)
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" -- $2.07 billion (Disney, 2015)
Disney/Lucasfilm
"Titanic" -- $2.19 billion (Paramount, 1997)
Paramount
"Avatar" -- $2.79 billion (20th Century Fox, 2009)

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20th Century Fox