Box office revenues increased $36.8 million, or 27.5%, to $170.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to $133.7 million recorded in the same period in 2011. The increase was primarily due to a 23.3% increase in attendance as a result of the strong slate of films in the current quarter compared to the prior year period, as well as the impact of the four theatres acquired from AMC in the third quarter of 2012. The $170.5 million in box office revenues is a quarterly record for Cineplex, exceeding the previous record of $162.5 million reported in the third quarter of 2011.
BPP increased 3.5% from $8.87 in the fourth quarter of 2011 to $9.18 in the current year period. Three of the top five releases during the period were screened in 3D and three in IMAX, compared to two of the top releases in the prior year period shown in 3D and two in IMAX. Outside of the top five, there were more 3D releases in the 2011 period which contributed to the percentage of box office from premium-priced product (3D, UltraAVX, IMAX and VIP), decreasing from 30.2% in the prior year period to 29.2% in the current quarter. The four theatres acquired from AMC which are located in major metropolitan areas and have higher ticket prices than those in smaller markets contributed to the higher BPP, as well as the composition of the film slate which featured less product catering to children in the current year period compared to the prior year, also increasing the BPP.
Full Year----------------------------------------------------------------------------Full Year 2012 Top Full Year 2011 Top Cineplex Films IMAX 3D % Box Cineplex Films IMAX 3D % Box----------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Marvel's The Avengers X X 5.7% 1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 X X 4.4%2 The Dark Knight Rises X 4.5% 2 Transformers: Dark of the Moon X X 3.3%3 Skyfall X 4.1% 3 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides X X 2.5%4 The Hunger Games X 3.8% 4 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 1 2.2%5 The Amazing Spider- 5 The Hangover 2 2.1% Man X X 2.8%----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Box office revenues for 2012 were $638.3 million or 10.6% higher than the prior year period, and represent an annual record for Cineplex. The strong performance of the four major blockbusters released in 2012 (Marvel's The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall and The Hunger Games) were the main contributors to the $60.9 million increase in box office revenue during the year. These four blockbusters were all released at different times during the year with one opening in each quarter, contributing to Cineplex's record annual attendance. The acquisition of the four theatres from AMC during the third quarter of 2012 also contributed to the box office revenue increase in the current year period.
Cineplex's BPP for 2012 increased $0.23, or 2.6%, from $8.74 in 2011 to $8.97, an annual record. This increase was primarily due to the increase in revenues from premium-priced product. Premium-priced offerings accounted for 30.9% of Cineplex's box office revenues in the 2012, compared to 29.4% in the prior year. The top five films in the 2012 period were all screened in IMAX and two in 3D (2011 - three in IMAX and three in 3D).
