Your article is the first I have read that suggests one of the reasons these 'box office records' are being continuously broken is 3-D movie ticket price inflation. Not only is that true, but the frequent general increase of ticket prices from season to season (urban vs. rural) must also be considered. I chuckle when I overhear a conversation or read about how excited people get when they see how much a movie has grossed on its opening weekend, 'breaking another record'. That figure simply is not accurate unless you also consider general ticket pricing increases from region to region, year to year, decade to decade. Merely 'breaking an existing box office record' is no indicator of the quality of a film – it merely reminds us of how sheep-like we can be. If we believe the hype about films that don't warrant the kudos, then shame on us. I'd like to see more people in the Industry be honest, tell the public when a movie is really bad so 1) we don't waste money and 2) don't send studio executives the wrong message. Crapitalism at its worst. Alot of what is critic-based in print ads and radio spots is taken out of context. It is simply a sales pitch about how to market, promote, and spin. Thanks for your comments – how refreshing!