Not all ticket prices are uniform around the USA, nor aroundthe world, but when you look at the numbers, of budget needed to complete, and gross numbers at the end of the life of the film in theaters you will see that it far exceed the first numbers. And that is all taken into account our current economic standings with inflation. So, in essence, is the average ticket price is 10$, and a movie makes 300 million USA wide, thats 30 million ticket sales. So seeing as how in some cases ticket sales are lower in certain states, its well possible that it could far exceed that number. My point is, the movie industry is not suffering, just bad movies are. And that statement to me was to show that piracy has not really dented anything too much, is just Hollywood wants as much as it can get.
Titanic Data
Released in US December 19, 1997
Total US Gross $600,788,188(ticket sales, not including rentals)
Production Budget $200,000,000
Prints and Advertising Budget $20,000,000
Rentals $324,425,000
Worldwide Gross $1,835,400,000
MPAA Rating PG-13 for disaster related peril and violence, nudity, sensuality and brief language
Running Time: 194 minutes
TV Rights (NBC/HBO): $55,000,000
Worldwide video and DVD sales and rentals: $1,200,000,000
2nd most total weekends at top of charts: 15 (ET: The Extra-Terrestrial holds the record with 16 weeks)
Holds record for longest run at top of charts: 15
All-Time Box Office Rank 1
Equal-fastest movie to $400m gross 66 days - equal with Spider-Man (see full chart)
Fastest movie to $500m gross 98 days (December 19th, 1997 - March 26th, 1998)
Fastest movie to $600m gross 252 days (December 19th, 1997 - August 25th, 1998)
Academy Award Winner, 1997 Best Picture
Highest Combined Star Gross 106 (see full chart)
Keywords Visual Effects, Disaster, Cross-Class Romance
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Music Composed By James Horner
Source Based on Real Life Events
Award Best Picture Oscar
Major Genre Drama
Production Method Live Action
Creative Type Dramatization
Time Frame 1910-1920
Director James Cameron
So as you can see, Titanic was not as successful as some might have thought, and the average ticket sale then, atleast in major cities was 9.00 and the estimated nationwide prices were 4.68. This years average ticket prices believe it or not, is 6.58 nationwide according to boxofficemojo.com
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/about/adjuster.htm