“Boxoffice sets record in 2008”

On the heels of the overseas numbers, the domestic box office results are in. And per The Hollywood Reporter, 2008 is a record year:

It was a photo finish, but 2008 hit the wire in a furious gallop to post a 12-month domestic boxoffice almost 2% higher than the year-earlier tally, with an unprecedented $9.78 billion in estimated grosses.

Avid holiday moviegoing helped the industry leg it into the record books in the home stretch, though substantial ticket-price boosts helped pad the annual haul. Industry estimates put average U.S. ticket prices at about $7.20, or almost 4.7% higher than in 2007.

About 1.36 billion tickets were sold in the U.S. and Canada in 2008. That compares with a total 1.40 billion admissions in the previous year.

In terms of the studios, the preliminary numbers are:

Warner Bros. — $1.79 billion
Paramount — $1.60 billion
Sony — $1.28 billion

And what about a certain bat dude?

Bowing in July, Warner Bros.’ Batman sequel “Knight” rang up a phenomenal $531 million to become the №2 theatrical release ever, after 1997’s “Titanic.”

Official numbers due out tomorrow.