LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ticket sales for movies shown around the globe rose 3 percent in 2011 to $32.6 billion, thanks largely to growth in booming markets like China. U.S. and Canadian sales fell.
That’s according to the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the six largest Hollywood studios.
The MPAA said Thursday that theatrical revenue from the U.S. and Canada dropped 4 percent to $10.2 billion as attendance fell last year. Revenue from 3-D movies also decreased compared with 2010, when the release of “Avatar” gave 3-D box office a big boost.
International ticket sales rose 7 percent to $22.4 billion.
Sales in China grew 35 percent to $2 billion, which put the nation behind Japan as the second largest market for movies outside the U.S. and Canada.
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