$3 nationwide movie ticket deal attracts 8.1 million moviegoers, with sales exceeding $24 million

According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the $3 movie ticket promotion aimed at boosting sales through movie theaters during a normally quiet weekend for business has attracted 8.1 million customers.

With those numbers, the group said, Saturday was the best day of the year to go to movie theaters.

Movie theaters drew $24.3 million in ticket sales from the National Film Day promotion, according to Comscore. The media analytics firm said it was up 9% from the previous week.

More than 3,000 movie theaters and 30,000 screens in the United States participated in the initiative, including major chains such as AMC Entertainment and Regal Cinemas as well as independent theaters. Feature films included Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick”, Warner Brothers’ “DC League of Super Pets”, and Sony’s “Bullet Train”.

Some theater chains offered discounts on franchises, too.

Ticket sales have plummeted in recent weeks, in part due to the lack of summer releases.

The nonprofit Film Foundation, which is part of the National Association of Theater Owners, hopes the discount ticket initiative will motivate customers to return to theaters, especially ahead of some big releases planned for the fall, such as Warner Bros. “Black Adam” movie for Discovery and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie by Disney.