Movie ticket prices in U.S. hit all-time high

Movie ticket prices in the United States have reached an all-time high, according to new data released by the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).

The price of a movie ticket went up 3 percent last year from $8.17 in 2014 to $8.43 in 2015.

NATO found that in 2015, 3D box office movies were up 20 percent from 2014, and comprised of 15 percent of total box office sales. The rise in average prices could be partly attributed to 3D movies.

The cost of a movie ticket has risen steadily over the last decade. In 2006, the price of a average ticket was $6.55, nearly 30 percent less than the average ticket price in 2015.

But there is some good news.

For an average family of four, movie tickets are still the cheapest option compared to tickets for other events, such as MLB, NFL, and NBA games, and theme park tickets, NATO found.

The average cost for a family of four to see a movie in 2015 was $33.72, while the average cost to see a NFL game for a family of four was $343. 32.

Higher ticket prices haven't stopped people from going to the movies.

The number of tickets purchased by moviegoers also increased in 2015. And the amount of tickets purchased by "occasional moviegoers" in 2015 increased by two percentage points to 49 percent.

NATO found that movie theaters continue to draw more people than all theme parks and major U.S. sports combined.