Movie sales down in 2003

After a historic and unprecedented 11-year run of back-to-back boxoffice gains, ticket sales hit the wall in 2003 as domestic theatrical revenue fell $100 million short of 2002's record take of $9.52 billion. But while the year's boxoffice and admissions at the nation's theaters couldn't match the heady numbers of 2002, it was still a fairly solid year overall for the theatrical film industry. Even though it paled slightly in comparison with 2002, the 2003 boxoffice registered the second-biggest tally in history, and actual admissions posted the second-best showing in the past 46 years.