Fewer Americans Went to the Cinema in 2019

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. movie admissions fell to 1.24 billion viewers in 2019, the second-lowest admissions number in the current century, Variety reported, citing the National Association of Theatre Owners.

The figure tracks with an earlier estimate from Comscore. The number of Americans going to movie theaters has been steadily declining since a peak in 2002, when 1.57 billion admissions were recorded, amid increased in-home competition from online streaming services such as Netflix Inc.

Average ticket prices at the box office increased five cents to $9.16, the entertainment industry’s magazine reported on its website.

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