Summer Box Office Sales Down Four Percent; Could Be Lowest Since 1993

Preliminary reports show 533.5 million tickets sold

The number of people going to the movies dipped noticeably in North America this summer, putting increased pressure on the final four months of 2012 to bolster the bottom line.

According to preliminary estimates, 533.5 million tickets were sold this summer, down 4 percent from last year and the worst turnout since 1993. The lowest attendance before now came in summer 2010, when there were 534.4 million tickets sold.