Ticket sales at the foreign box office soared almost 20 percent to a record high in 2010, powered by higher prices for 3D movies even as the number of people who went to the movies was roughly unchanged.

According to preliminary estimates, receipts for the six major Hollywood studios from all countries outside the United States and Canada will total $12.7 billion, breaking the $10.7 billion record set in 2009.

This was accomplished despite the fact that “admissions (the number of tickets sold) have been more or less flat internationally versus 2009,” one studio executive noted.

What made the difference was a more than doubling of the number of 3D titles released abroad at steeper ticket prices, thus yielding a roughly 35% 3D ticket surcharge.

Source: Reuters