Statistics and facts about the film industry
Entertainment is big business in the United States. The sector as a whole generated around
464 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2011 and forecasts predict that it will grow by a further 5.2 percent over the next four years, proving its worth not only on the domestic market but also as a major U.S. export. The film industry is one of the biggest if not the biggest player in the broader entertainment sector; it is considered a cornerstone of the industry.
The formation of a clear centralization trend can be observed in the U.S. cinema market – the number of movie theater sites has steadily been falling over the last few years;
from 7,800 in 1996 to around 5,700 in 2011. The
number of movie screens, on the other hand, is on the up. In 2011, movie theaters reported a decline in
box office and
advertising revenues . In 2012,
ticket price reductions were seen as a bid to reverse this trend and attempt to draw in larger audiences.
Even though Warner Bros. Pictures
produced the most movies in 2011, including
the blockbuster of the year – the second part of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, it was Paramount that held
the biggest share of the market and generated largest
total and
per-film revenues.
In the fight for audiences and their money, both film studios and cinemas are trying to modernize their infrastructure to offer more and more exciting experiences. 2011 saw
45 three-dimensional films produced and shown on almost
13,700 3D screens all over North America, compared to 26 movies and 8,500 screens a year earlier. However, revenues generated from 3D films were significantly lower in 2011 than in 2010.