North American ticket prices rose in line with inflation in 2024, hitting a new high of $11.31 for the year, up 3% from 2023’s average of $10.94. That follows gains of 4% in 2023 and 2022. The average price in Q4—typically the most expensive time of year to go see movies—hit a record high of $11.64. New data from our partners, along with SEC filings from the major theater chains, have also allowed us to revise and tighten our estimates for ticket prices since the beginning of 2022.
Our model relies on the average ticket prices reported in SEC filings from three major theater chains: AMC, Cinemark, and Cineplex. This data is modeled against the average ticket prices previously reported by the National Association of Theatre Owners (up to 2021) and The Cinema Foundation’s 2022 Theatrical Market Report.
Here’s breakdown of estimates for the average ticket prices by quarter since 2020, and a comparison with the “official” figures from those trade organizations:
Despite a decrease in attendance in 2024, admission revenue per patron for the year was higher than in 2023, according to the theater chains in this analysis. One of the key reasons cited for the decline in attendance was the lack of content in 2024 compared to 2023, which saw a surge in special event films and concert films, such as those by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Additionally, the cultural phenomenon of “Barbenheimer” contributed significantly to audience turnout in 2023.
In 2024, while no comparable phenomenon emerged, new pricing strategies and an increased share of premium format screenings helped drive higher admission revenue per patron. IMAX, for example, enjoyed domestic box office revenue of $393 million in 2023 and $387 million in 2024. While that’s down fractionally in dollar terms year-on-year, it represents a gain in market share from 4.3% of total North American ticket revenue to 4.5% of total revenue. That gain was too small to significantly increase the average ticket price, but it was enough to mean that ticket prices didn’t fall, in spite of a decrease in box office. So while fewer tickets were sold, moviegoers as a whole upgraded their theatrical experience in 2024.
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Sebastian Gomez and Bruce Nash, research@the-numbers.com