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Remember When Movie Tickets Weren’t an Arm and a Leg? A Look Back at Cinema Prices Through the Decades!
With everything from gas to groceries seemingly costing a fortune these days, it’s easy to yearn for simpler (and cheaper!) times.
That got us thinking about a beloved American pastime: going to the movies! We all know ticket prices have climbed over the years, but just how much has that silver screen experience changed in real dollars?
We’ve delved into the archives to find out, adjusting for inflation to give you the real scoop.
Before we dive into the cinematic time machine, a quick note on our methodology: We pulled average movie ticket price data, but it wasn’t always perfectly consistent. For any missing years (marked with an asterisk), we estimated prices using a linear growth model between known dates.
So, if a ticket cost $0.25 in 1943 and $0.27 in 1945, we pegged 1944 at $0.26. Crisis averted!
Second, those “adjusted for inflation” numbers? We crunched those using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ online inflation calculator to give you a clearer picture of what those original prices would feel like today.
Lastly, just for fun, we’ve thrown in the highest-grossing film and the Academy Award winner for ‘Best Picture’ for each year. A quick disclaimer here (before the film buffs come after us in the comments!): while the spirit of ‘Best Picture’ has been around since 1929, the actual name only came into play in 1962.
Before that, it went by various titles like ‘Outstanding Picture’ or ‘Best Motion Picture.’ But let’s not get bogged down in semantics, shall we?
On with the show!
1950
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.40*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $5.53
Highest-grossing film: “Cinderella”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “All About Eve”
1951
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.43*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $5.50
Highest-grossing film: “Quo Vadis”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “An American In Paris”
1952
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.45*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $5.52
Highest-grossing film: “The Greatest Show on Earth”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Greatest Show on Earth”
1953
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.47*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $5.74
Highest-grossing film: “Peter Pan”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “From Here to Eternity”
1954
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.49
Cost adjusted for inflation: $5.92
Highest-grossing film: “White Christmas”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “On the Waterfront”
1955
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.54*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $6.57
Highest-grossing film: “Lady and the Tramp”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Marty”
1956
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.59*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $7.15
Highest-grossing film: “The Ten Commandments”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Around the World in 80 Days”
1957
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.63*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $7.41
Highest-grossing film: “The Bridge on the River Kwai”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Bridge on the River Kwai”
1958
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.68
Cost adjusted for inflation: $7.72
Highest-grossing film: “South Pacific”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Gigi”
1959
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.72*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $8.06
Highest-grossing film: “Ben-Hur”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Ben-Hur”
1960
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.75*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $8.31
Highest-grossing film: “Swiss Family Robinson”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Apartment”
1961
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.79*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $8.61
Highest-grossing film: “101 Dalmatians”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “West Side Story”
1962
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.82*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $8.88
Highest-grossing film: “The Longest Day”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Lawrence of Arabia”
1963
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.86
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.19
Highest-grossing film: “Cleopatra”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Tom Jones”
1964
Cost of a movie ticket: $0.95*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.99
Highest-grossing film: “Mary Poppins”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “My Fair Lady”
1965
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.04*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.83
Highest-grossing film: “The Sound of Music”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Sound of Music”
1966
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.13*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $11.54
Highest-grossing film: “The Bible”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “A Man for All Seasons”
1967
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.22
Cost adjusted for inflation: $12.04
Highest-grossing film: “The Graduate”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “In the Heat of the Night”
1968
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.33*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $12.67
Highest-grossing film: “Funny Girl”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Oliver!”
1969
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.44*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $13.14
Highest-grossing film: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Midnight Cowboy”
1970
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.54*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $13.23
Highest-grossing film: “Love Story”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Patton”
1971
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.65
Cost adjusted for inflation: $13.47
Highest-grossing film: “Billy Jack”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The French Connection”
1972
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.73*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $13.67
Highest-grossing film: “The Godfather”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Godfather”
1973
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.81*
Cost adjusted for inflation: $13.80
Highest-grossing film: “The Exorcist”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Sting”
1974
Cost of a movie ticket: $1.89
Cost adjusted for inflation: $13.17
Highest-grossing film: “The Towering Inferno”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Godfather Part II”
1975
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.03
Cost adjusted for inflation: $12.66
Highest-grossing film: “Jaws”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
1976
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.13
Cost adjusted for inflation: $12.44
Highest-grossing film: “Rocky”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Rocky”
1977
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.23
Cost adjusted for inflation: $12.38
Highest-grossing film: “Star Wars: A New Hope”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Annie Hall”
1978
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.34
Cost adjusted for inflation: $12.16
Highest-grossing film: “Grease”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Deer Hunter”
1979
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.47
Cost adjusted for inflation: $11.75
Highest-grossing film: “Superman”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Kramer vs.
Kramer”
1980
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.69
Cost adjusted for inflation: $11.23
Highest-grossing film: “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Ordinary People”
1981
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.78
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.38
Highest-grossing film: “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Chariots of Fire”
1982
Cost of a movie ticket: $2.94
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.13
Highest-grossing film: “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Gandhi”
1983
Cost of a movie ticket: $3.15
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.46
Highest-grossing film: “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Terms of Endearment”
1984
Cost of a movie ticket: $3.36
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.71
Highest-grossing film: “Ghostbusters”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Amadeus”
1985
Cost of a movie ticket: $3.55
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.93
Highest-grossing film: “Back to the Future”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Out of Africa”
1986
Cost of a movie ticket: $3.71
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.99
Highest-grossing film: “Top Gun”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Platoon”
1987
Cost of a movie ticket: $3.91
Cost adjusted for inflation: $11.42
Highest-grossing film: “Beverly Hills Cop II”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Last Emperor”
1988
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.11
Cost adjusted for inflation: $11.54
Highest-grossing film: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Rain Man”
1989
Cost of a movie ticket: $3.99
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.70
Highest-grossing film: “Batman”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Driving Miss Daisy”
1990
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.22
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.76
Highest-grossing film: “Ghost”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Dances With Wolves”
1991
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.21
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.16
Highest-grossing film: “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The Silence of the Lambs”
1992
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.15
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.76
Highest-grossing film: “Batman Returns”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Unforgiven”
1993
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.14
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.43
Highest-grossing film: “Jurassic Park”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Schindler’s List”
1994
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.08
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.06
Highest-grossing film: “The Lion King”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Forrest Gump”
1995
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.35
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.40
Highest-grossing film: “Batman Forever”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Braveheart”
1996
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.42
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.30
Highest-grossing film: “Independence Day”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “The English Patient”
1997
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.59
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.37
Highest-grossing film: “Titanic”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Titanic”
1998
Cost of a movie ticket: $4.69
Cost adjusted for inflation: $9.43
Highest-grossing film: “Armageddon”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Shakespeare in Love”
1999
Cost of a movie ticket: $5.06
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.00
Highest-grossing film: “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “American Beauty”
2000
Cost of a movie ticket: $5.39
Cost adjusted for inflation: $10.37
Highest-grossing film: “Mission: Impossible 2”
Winner of ‘Best Picture’: “Gladiator”
Surprise! 1973 Was Actually the Most Expensive Year for a Movie Ticket!
Our deep dive into cinema history revealed something truly unexpected: 1973 was a surprisingly pricey year to catch a flick! In fact, when adjusted for inflation, a movie ticket back then was nearly 43% more expensive than what you’d pay in the 1990s.
Do you remember what made 1973 so expensive at the box office? Or perhaps you have a cherished childhood memory of heading to the movies? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below!
Still Craving a Trip Down Memory Lane?
- 21 Classic Movies from 1984 to Revisit Right Now: Think you’ve seen ’em all? These 1984 cinematic gems are ripe for a rewatch and might just change your perspective on that iconic year in film.
- The Best New Year’s Eve Movies to Ring in the Year: As the countdown begins, cozy up with one of these films to set the perfect tone for a fun, reflective, and unforgettable New Year’s Eve.
- 11 Overrated Cult Classic Movies That Don’t Deserve Their Praise: Are some “must-see” cult films actually… overrated?
This list boldly challenges the hype and invites you to reconsider what truly earns the title of a classic.