The total for 2009 was $10.6 billion. This is the second time that the annual box office has surpassed the $10 billion mark.
Also, total movie attendance was down 5.36 percent from 2009 - that's the biggest percentage drop year over year since 2005. This year also marks the second-lowest attended year of the decade.
"Toy Story 3" was the highest-grossing film released in 2010, earning nearly $415 million. It's one of many movies that were offered in 3-D or IMAX 3-D, which come with higher average ticket prices - which is partly what helped boost the annual total as far as it got, even as attendance sagged.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.