[Movie] Attendance Crumbles in 2010

Box Office Mojo ^ | 1/11/2011 | Brandon Gray

[Dr. Scarpetta]

2010 closed as the second highest-grossing year of all time, but it still couldn't shake an air of disappointment. Not only did 2010 end with a whimper, estimated ATTENDANCE was the LOWEST in 15 years.

The box office tally for 2010 was $10.57 billion, or around $30 million shy of 2009. That translated to an estimated attendance of 1.27 billion, which was off eight percent from 2010.

1995 was the last year to have sub-1.3 billion attendance. Since the modern attendance peak in 2002 (1.58 billion), attendance has been trending downward, but 2010 marked the second severe drop-off, following 2005.

Hollywood often failed to offer an appealing slate of movies, and there were fewer movies made available than before. In 2010, 141 movies reached nationwide release (600 locations or more), down from 158 in 2009 and the smallest number since 2001.

The top-grossing movie of 2010 was a holdover from 2009: Avatar, which made $476.9 million of its $760.5 million lifetime total in 2010.

Toy Story 3 was the second-biggest movie in 2010, drawing $415 million. Alice in Wonderland ($334.2 million), Iron Man 2 ($312.4 million) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ($300.5 million) rounded out the Top Five.

Animation business was up 16 percent over 2009 to $1.49 billion, while movies presented in the 3D illusion surged to $3.27 billion (an estimated $2.1 billion of which from 3D alone).

All of the major animated titles of 2010 were shown in 3D, and the industry shoved 3D down people's throats in the wake of Avatar's success, adding enough screens to the point in December when several movies had simultaneous nationwide 3D runs.

All those 3D movies contributed to the gross, but they boiled down to more money from fewer people.

[LS]

Thanks. My office in LA gets plenty of talent-—offers like crazy, as you might imagine. Money? Now, that’s a different matter . . . .

[bcsco]

Klaus Barbie. Hah! But then, I wouldn’t have wanted to stopped either, for him or the other Barbie...

Atlanta just scored a TD. Is this the beginning of something? Nah. It’s going to be CB vs. GBP next week. That should be a game for the ages provided both clubs come to play. Mercy!

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Yes, my husband loved Tangled and wants to take me back to see it. Our second daughter has seen it three times, and the oldest has seen in twice.

Even though Tangled is playing at the Roxy, I haven't gone since it's animated. That's interesting that your husband loved it and the kids have gone back 2 & 3 times. Is it appropriate for a 3 yr old?

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I was born in Hazleton and still visit my mother there.

I'm probably an hour and a half from there.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

"My parents lived in Allentown for 10 years and loved it--(a beautiful area)....but this was 40 years ago.... I remember Hess's Dept Store."

****

Hess's was fabulous, but it's been torn down. A real shame...

[Dr. Scarpetta]

My husband & I LOVED Tangled!!!....

What did you like about it? I thought it was a movie that kids dragged their parents to...:)

[Dr. Scarpetta]

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Tangled really took me by surprise...pleasantly! It was the sweetest new animation to come out in decades. No one dies, it was funny and really quite clever! I took the kids because my dh had to be away on Thanksgiving.

[petitfour]

Hubby says, “Absolutely.” He says there is a wicked witch and something else, but that it is very good. He loves all sorts of movies, but animated films that are done well are his favorites.

[Guenevere]

I'm not as big a fan of animation as my husband, but this movie was a throw- back to how Disney use to make movies....

..it was just that good and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We only took our granddaughter to make it look legit :))