You're pointing out a crucial aspect of reporting on box office numbers: the need to adjust for inflation.

Yes, you're absolutely right that when adjusting for inflation, the overall box office trend looks different from what's presented in headlines. Inflation-adjusted box office figures take into account changes in ticket prices over time, which means that higher ticket prices can make the current box office appear more impressive than it would be if we only looked at nominal (non-inflation adjusted) numbers.

As you noted, ticket prices have increased significantly over the past 10-20 years, while the number of people going to the movies has actually declined. This makes it look like the box office is strong, but in reality, the opposite might be true: the business is actually struggling due to decreased attendance and rising costs.

The article you linked does mention some impressive-sounding box office numbers for 2024, but without adjusting for inflation, these figures can be misleading. If we adjust for inflation, it's possible that the actual trend would show a decline in overall box office revenue compared to previous years.

This is an important consideration for media outlets and industry analysts, as it can affect how they interpret the performance of the film industry. Adjusting for inflation helps provide a more accurate picture of the business's health and allows for better comparisons across different time periods.

Thanks for pointing this out!