Movie ticket prices dropped during the first quarter of 2014, but don’t expect the statistics out from the National Association of Theater Owners to have any further impact on the rest of the year.
NATO said today that the average price dropped to $7.96, a 4.7 percent drop from the fourth quarter of 2014, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The average ticket cost $8.53 during the previous quarter.
It was actually a slight increase from the first quarter of 2013, when the average ticket cost $7.94. That’s just 0.3 percent.
The large drop from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the first of 2014 isn’t expected to be the start of any kind of trend. After all, even though the first quarter of 2013 had a low average price, the overall average for the year was still $8.13.
As Deadline notes, the lower prices for the first quarter is usually explained by more children going to the theater, paying a lower price for matinee tickets. This winter saw films like Frozen and The LEGO Movie dominate the box office, so more kids were rushing to the theaters. There were also less big-budget 3D or IMAX blockbusters for adults to see, as Oscar nominees American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street did well. Neither of these films were released in 3D or IMAX.
The average ticket price will start climbing again for the second and third quarters, as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla and other 3D/IMAX films open.