Global box office hits record $28 billion in '08

"The industry, the wide diversity of films produced, the labels used for distribution and a host of other factors are all changing so rapidly that year-to-year average cost comparisons are relatively useless and misleading," said the spokeswoman.

While domestic admissions fell slightly to 1.4 billion in all of 2008, they remained relatively equal to recent years, with the exception being 2002's high of 1.6 billion admissions.

Admissions rose 7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and eight percent in the first 10 weeks of 2009, the MPAA said.

The rise underscores an old rule in Hollywood that in tough times, people go to the movies for escape.

Average ticket prices in 2008 rose by about 30 cents to $7.18, a 4.4 percent increase roughly comparable to the consumer price index increase, the MPAA said.

The number of films released domestically in 2008 rose slightly from the previous year to 610 compared to 599 in 2007, but films produced in the U.S. dropped 20.7 percent in large part due to economic and labor issues, the MPAA said.

The MPAA said its major studio members released 27 fewer films, while non-MPAA-affiliated independent companies released 38 more new films in 2008, making up the difference.

The MPAA represents major studios like General Electric Co's Universal Pictures, Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros, Viacom Inc's Paramount, which distributes DreamWorks films, News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Corp and Walt Disney Co.