OMG! Getting Teens Back to the Screens

In the not-so-distant past, Hollywood counted on teenagers to drive its big blockbusters. Now, that demo is noticeably AWOL from the multiplex. Many assumed that would change with Thor, the summer's first superhero pic and a natural draw for teen fanboys. It didn't. More than 70 percent of Thor's opening-weekend audience was older than 25, inhibiting the movie's ability to reach the heights of fellow Marvel property Iron Man, which opened to $98.6 million in 2008. Thor grossed $65.7 million. Some studio execs blame rising prices, fueled by 3D. The average U.S. ticket price for a 2D movie hit an all-time high of $8 at the end of 2010 -- add $2 to $3 for a 3D pic (and in Los Angeles and New York, it can total $14 or more). Others wonder if a ban on texting is a contributing factor.