Movie-going got more expensive last year with ticket prices hitting record highs in 2012, the National Association of Theatre Owners said Monday.
The average ticket price hit $7.96, a three-cent bump from last year, but still the biggest annual number when not adjusted for inflation.
Also read: Average Movie Ticket Price Jumps Less Than 1 Percent in 2011
For the fourth quarter of 2012, 3D releases, such as "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "Rise of the Guardians," pushed ticket prices to $8.05. That was a 3.4 percent bump from the $7.78 cents audiences shelled out on average over the three months ending in September.
It was not, however, a record. In the second quarter of 2012, ticket prices hit unprecedented levels, averaging $8.12.