Ticket sales at the US
box office reached a record high in 2004, although the
actual number of moviegoers fell for a second year in
a row. Movies took $9.4bn (£4.9bn) at the domestic
box office last year, compared to $9.2bn (£4.8bn)
in 2003.
The record high was attributed
to increased ticket price, with attendance falling 1.7%
to 1.51 billion. Shrek
2 was 2004's highest grossing film in the US, taking $436m
(£229m), tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.
Late boost
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ
and the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 were
unexpected box office successes in 2004, taking $370m
(£194m) and $119m (£62.5m) respectively in
the US.
Revenue for the year was falling behind
2003 in the final weeks of 2004, but comedy sequel Meet
the Fockers boosted takings with total ticket sales of
$162.5m (£85.3m) in the last fortnight of the year.
The average US ticket price
was $6.22 (£3.26) last year, compared to $6.03 (£3.16)
in 2003.
Analysts said the two-year decline was no
cause for alarm because 2002 was an anomaly with hit films
such as the first Spider-Man movie and My Big Fat Greek
Wedding.
That year also included the latest
instalments in the Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of
the Rings series. "This
is a great year," said Exhibitor Relations president
Paul Dergarabedian.
"We saw such massive increases in revenue and attendance
in 2001 and 2002, there is just no way we're going to
see increases sustained at that rate."
Among films expected to perform well in US cinemas this
year are Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
and Batman Begins starring Christian Bale.
King Kong, directed by Lord of the Rings
film-maker Peter Jackson, and Steven Spielberg's version
of The War of the Worlds are also expected to prove popular.
