Hollywood has had its most successful year at the box office. Films such as Skyfall and The Avengers helped film studios sell $10.8bn in tickets in 2012. For the first time in three years sales of tickets in the US went as moviegoer flocked to see big budget films.

The sci-fi film The Avengers featuring super heroes from Thor to The Hulk was the most successful film of the year taking $1.5bn worldwide.

The latest in the Batman series The Dark Night Rises took $1.1bn at the box office while Daniel Craig’s third appearance as James Bond in Skyfall was also a huge success.

The 23rd Bond film is expected to pass the $1bn mark by the end of the year making it by far the most successful of the 50 year old franchise.

Animation films such as Ice Age: Continental Drift, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Brave were also box office hits taking more than $500m.

Ticket sales were helped by many of the films being shown in 3-D and at Imax movie theatres were prices for individual tickets were more expensive.

Hollywood executives are confident they will hit $11bn in sales for 2103. Films such as Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty about the hunt for Osama bin Laden are expected to get 2013 off to a stellar start.

‘If we deliver the product as an industry that people want, they will want to get out there,’ said Don Harris, head of distribution at Paramount Pictures.

‘Even though you can sit at home and watch something on your large screen in high-def, people want to get out.’

Ashton Tyler | Elite.