Spring brings a thaw in ticket sales

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES — What slump?
With nearly a third of the year behind it, Hollywood is selling movie tickets at a brisk pace, a full $100 million ahead of last year. But the surge might have less to do with the quality of this year's films than the sheer number of them.

Through last weekend, 2006 ticket sales are at $2.5 billion, a healthy 4% ahead of last year's number during the same period, according to Nielsen EDI. Spring has been even healthier: 13% ahead of spring 2005.

The fast start gives executives hope that the industry will reverse a three-year attendance slide. Admissions have fallen about 14% since 2002, when the number of tickets sold to North American theaters reached a decades-high 1.63 billion.

"It's nice to have some good news after all the bad," says Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal Pictures, which scored a hit this year with Inside Man. "Maybe things will be a little less unpredictable this year."

Still, some studio execs are surprised 2006 is so quick out of the gate.

Only one movie this year, Ice Age: The Meltdown, has taken in more than $100 million. At this time last year, Hitch, The Pacifier and Robots had hit the blockbuster mark.

"It is a bit shocking no movie had done it," says Chris Aronson, a senior vice president at 20th Century Fox, which released Meltdown. "Still, the weekends have been pretty strong. I think we're getting a better idea of delivering what audiences want."

But Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo says the reversal stems more from studios flooding the market. Through the first 16 weekends of the year, there have been 50 wide-release films, Gray says. Through the same period last year, 39 movies were released on at least 600 screens.

And with the average big-studio film taking in $38 million at the box office, 11 extra movies "is a big chunk of change," Gray says.

And there's little proof that movies are getting better, says Senh Duong, founder of movie survey site rottentomatoes.com. His site found that the average movie this year received a positive review from 56% of the nation's critics. That is the same score as movies released last year, and 3% lower than movies released in 2004.

"Quality-wise, there doesn't seem to be much difference," he says.