FAMILY FRIENDLY BOX OFFICE RECESSION PROOF

This is extremely timely  Read carefully
Gavin

Hollywood Rebounds
Recession Helps Box Office
by Glenn Stefano

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Hollywood -- According to U.S. government reports, our economy has officially been in a recession since December 2007. That comes as no surprise to most of us, who have battled the day to day pains due to the crisis. Many industries have collapsed such as the auto and retail sectors. However, one unusual bright spot comes out of Southern California... Hollywood! The film industry is actually reversing its fortunes due to tough times, after years of erosion due to digital technology.

Historically the movie business has an upsurge in bad economic times, as people head to the theaters to escape from the daily headaches. Domestic box-office revenue went up in five of the past seven recession years dating to the 1960s, according to research compiled by the National Association of Theatre Owners.

While budget-conscious consumers in today's economic downturn may hold off buying that 50-inch plasma television, “it seems they can always pull together the money to go to the movies,” film historian and critic Leonard Maltin said. “They're not making a monthly commitment or a down payment. They're just shelling out the 10 bucks.”

Not only is going to the movies a release from the economic downturn, it is also an affordable guilty pleasure. “Most people would believe that offers a very good value. It's certainly much cheaper than a psychiatrist,” said Dan Glickman, who heads the Motion Picture Association of America, Hollywood's top trade group. “To go into a darkened room where nobody can find you for two hours is great therapy, particularly when times are bad.”


Amid America's longest and bleakest economic bust in the 1930s, movie attendance tumbled initially as investment money for films dried up. But in the heart of the Depression from the early to late 1930s, attendance shot up. While detailed box-office figures were not released back then as they are today, as many as 4.6 billion movie tickets a year were sold in the 1930s – three times more than in the best year of modern times. And the U.S. population during the Depression was less than half of today's 300 million.

Some would go as far to say that the family friendly movie business is recession proof.
Studio executives note that during the Great Depression, when more than a quarter of the country was out of work, people still scraped together dimes to see the latest motion picture.