Did Movie Theaters Really Have a Blockbuster Summer?

Following the release of preliminary box office results for the summer, several articles have hailed what was supposedly "the best summer in decades". But was it really?

According to Box Office Mojo, a leading source of box office data, the 2018 movie summer has indeed been one of the most lucrative ones since the turn of the century. According to the site, domestic movie theaters earned $4.4 billion during this year's summer season (which traditionally begins on the first Friday in May and ends on Labor Day). That’s the fifth biggest summer haul since the turn of the century, but there's one caveat: it doesn’t take ticket price inflation into account. When adjusting past years’ results to 2018 ticket prices, things look entirely different and the fifth best summer since 2000 turns into the second worst summer of the 21st century.

Please note that this is not meant to dispute the fact that the movie industry is having a decent year and arguably a better summer. It is only meant as a reminder that headlines involving any sort of box office record should be taken with a grain of salt, because factors such as changing ticket prices can affect the outcome in a major way.