INFLATION HITS BOX OFFICE

Defying the trend in virtually every other U.S. business, prices of movie tickets shot up over the weekend, particularly at IMAX and 3D theaters, with charges rising about 8 percent in 3D theaters, 4 percent in non-3D ones and $5 across the board at IMAX locations, according to various reports. A spokesman for AMC theaters told Saturday’s New York Daily News that the price hike was dictated by increased costs of installing 3D digital projectors. “It is inevitable some of those costs will eventually appear at the box office,” the spokesman said. And while numerous blog posts condemned the rising ticket prices, several analysts observed that movie tickets nevertheless remain a low-cost entertainment alternative. “In New York, especially Manhattan, $20 for a couple of hours’ entertainment is relatively inexpensive,” NPD Group entertainment analyst Russ Krupnick told the Daily News.