Social media, upgraded theaters help drive $11 billion year

Disney and J.J. Abrams pushed 2015 over the mark days before its conclusion, but many factors helped make the year the biggest of all time — including social media and better theatrical experiences — which helped draw audiences away from their home entertainment centers and into the multiplex.

In 2014, "The Interview" was released in theaters and online at the same time, and this year saw streaming service Netflix enter theatrical feature territory with "Beasts of No Nation" and "The Ridiculous 6," both of which played in theaters and online simultaneously, alarming exhibitors.

Yet attendance at the movies was up around four percent for the year, according to Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' executive vice president of domestic distribution.

Universal, which ranked fifth in 2014, skyrocketed to become the top studio of 2015, thanks to enormous hits like Jurassic World, ''Furious 7, ''Fifty Shades of Grey, ''Minions and Pitch Perfect 2.

According to Nick Carpou, Universal's president of domestic distribution, the studio found success in scattering its diverse offerings throughout the year, finding audiences that might be underserved in certain months and translating that into big returns.

Carpou, his industry counterparts and various box office analysts agreed that social buzz could make or break a movie almost immediately.

Disney, which ranked second, followed a very different strategy, focusing on 15 new releases (to Universal's 26) from their various brands, whether homegrown or acquired, like Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and live-action reboots of their animated classics.

The days of sticky floored venues with small seats and smaller screens may never go away completely, but audiences have more options now in screen size, visual and audio quality, reserved luxury seating, and even gourmet food service, all of which usually means higher ticket prices.