Movie Ticket Prices Set To Rise

(CBS)  Moviegoers can prepare to dig a little deeper into their pockets when they want to see another picture.

Starting Friday, ticket prices at a number of theaters across the country will rise as theater owners try to cash in on a booming box office and healthy demand for 3-D movies like "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland."

The cost of tickets for 2-D movies is expected to go up marginally - less than 5 percent - but the price of a 3-D IMAX ticket could go up almost 26 percent to nearly $20.

Wall Street media analyst Richard Greenfield of BTIG said he had surveyed 10 theaters and found that some theaters in Los Angeles and New York may charge even higher prices.

Hikes vary according to theater chains, with some raising prices across the board and others raising just IMAX prices. AMC and Regal are among the chains planning hikes.

The increase comes on the heels of two 3-D box office bonanzas. James Cameron's Oscar-nominated "Avatar" has earned more than $700 million in the U.S. this year, most of it in 3-D sales. Tim Burton's "Alice In Wonderland," which topped the box office for three straight weekends, has taken in almost $300 million.

Two more 3-D movies, "How To Train Your Dragon" and "Clash of the Titans," are scheduled to open in the next two weeks.