The box-office made a strong recovery in December, offsetting a dreary late summer and early fall, to help set a new record for the year, according to trade reports. Daily Variety projected the total gross for the year at $7.45 billion, while The Hollywood Reporter estimated it at $7.67 billion and the Associated Press put it at $7.7 billion. Nevertheless, while box office revenue grew, thanks to increased ticket prices, attendance was off.

The Hollywood Reporter said that 43 million fewer tickets were sold in 2000 than in 1999, the biggest plunge in the number of people going to movies since 1991. "I don't think you can expect to have record attendance every year," Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, told CBS MarketWatch. "But this was still a very, very good year."

Source: Studio Briefing