‘01 Seen as Record Year at Box Office

North American box-office revenue grew in 2001 to mark a record year for Hollywood, according to figures released Wednesday.

Strong attendance and slightly higher ticket prices helped drive the domestic receipts past the $8-billion mark for the first time ever, according to movie tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. Last year, domestic movie theater revenue reached $7.7 billion.

“It’s just amazing,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Los Angeles-based Exhibitor Relations. “We’re on track for an $8.3-billion-plus year.”

AC Nielsen/EDI, a competing movie tracker, said revenue was closer to $7.8 billion year to date but should cross the $8-billion mark within the week.

“It’s been a great year at the box office, a great year for Hollywood,” said Nikki Rocco, distribution president for Universal Pictures. “Obviously, Hollywood gave people what they wanted to see. They kept coming back for more.”

Warner Bros. Pictures is the year’s undisputed box-office champion, powered by such hits as “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Cats & Dogs” and “Training Day.” On Tuesday, “Harry Potter” became the year’s highest-grossing film with nearly $267.8 million, eclipsing DreamWorks’ animated “Shrek,” which ended its box-office run at $267.65 million.

“It’s going to be our most profitable year ever,” said Barbara Brogliatti, Warner Bros. Pictures’ spokeswoman. “We’re at $1.1 billion for the year, and we still have five days left.”

Warner has raked in an additional $1 billion in foreign box-office receipts. Its figures do not include gross revenue from its sister AOL Time Warner studio, New Line Cinema, which released “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “Rush Hour 2.”

Universal probably will come in second, fueled by its sequels: “The Mummy Returns,” “Jurassic Park III” and “American Pie 2.” Universal also scored on “The Fast and the Furious” and “Spy Game.” Although the studio won’t release its final tally for another week, Rocco said, the domestic figure probably will be “just under $1 billion.”

The box-office record was set in 1997 by Sony Pictures with $1.26billion, led by “Men in Black,” “Air Force One” and “Jerry Maguire.”

“It’s the same audience that still likes going to the movies,” said Richard King, spokesman for the Kansas City-based AMC Theaters. “The trend all through the ‘90s has been up with the exception of last year.”

Box-office revenue has been strong throughout the year, Dergarabedian said. By late summer, he and other industry experts were already predicting that 2001 would be a $8-billion-plus year. Early concerns that moviegoers would stay home after Sept. 11 were quelled quickly. With the exception of two weekends, including Thanksgiving, every weekend since the terrorist attacks has performed better than the comparable period last year, Dergarabedian said.

It’s unclear whether 2001 attendance will beat the modern-day high-water mark of 1998, when 1.48 billion domestic tickets were sold. Exhibitor Relations is predicting the year will end with a 4.5% increase over 2000, when 1.42 billion tickets were sold.

An increase in ticket prices more than made up the difference. Domestically, ticket prices increased 3.7% this year, following on the heels of an 8.3% hike last year, according to Exhibitor Relations.