The average cost of a movie ticket in the U.S. dipped to $8.93 in the third quarter of 2019, down nearly 4 percent from $9.26 in the second quarter and up slightly from $8.83 during the same corridor at year ago, the National Association of Theatre Owners said Thursday.

That puts the ticket average for the first nine months of this year at $9.08, compared to $9.11 for all of 2018.

Fluctuations in price are due to the strength of the marketplace, as well as the demand for Imax and other premium formats. The more people spend, the more the average cost increases.