Movie Theaters Set a Record: $4.46 Billion

LAS VEGAS — Box office revenues hit a record $4.46 billion last year although theater attendance took a slight dip, the president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America told theater owners today.

“In spite of competition for the eye and ear of the American consumer, in spite of an avalanche of visual options, the movie theater has not only refused to die, it has held firm,” Jack Valenti told the opening session of SHOWEST.

Theater admissions totaled 1.085 billion in 1988, Valenti said, the 12th consecutive year that attendance topped the 1-billion mark. The attendance figure was down .03%, Valenti said. Revenues were up 5%.

Valenti told theater owners that they are in a “watching war,” with 90 million TV households across America.

Leads Other Nations

“As alternate delivery systems invade the American living room, the conventional wisdom was and is: ‘The cinema is bound to die.’ ”

The movie industry has held firm despite predictions of its demise, Valenti said.

The United States recorded a per capita movie theater attendance mark of 4.4 last year, compared to Great Britain with 1.4, Canada with 2.8, France and West Germany, 1.9 and Italy, 1.6.