Social scientists looking for signs of working-class revolt amid the ever-worsening economic news might consider this week's box-office numbers.
"Beverly Hills Chihuahua," a film about a pampered dog who is snatched away from her poolside life and forced to live by her wits in the Mexican desert, was the most watched movie for the second weekend in a row.
"There's an element in the film of these dogs and their owners being rich and spoiled. Audiences kind of enjoy watching their perceived nemesis being made fun of," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers. "Especially when times are tough."
Times apparently are not so tough that people are avoiding movie theaters. Even with ticket prices averaging around $7 nationwide and closer to $10 in Southern California, ticket sales were up about 6% over last year for a total of $105 million, based on early estimates.
"Chihuahua," which debuted in September to an invitation-only group of 300 Chihuahuas and their owners, took in $17.5 million in its second weekend, down 40% from last week but still strong enough for the top spot.
"Going into this weekend, I don't think anyone would have handicapped us as the picture that would have won the weekend," said Chuck Viane, the president of distribution for Disney.
Indeed, most of the buzz surrounded "Body of Lies," a film about espionage during the Iraq war, and "The Express," a biopic about the first black football player to win the Heisman Trophy.
Both clocked in below expectations. Instead, "Quarantine," a Sony Screen Gems horror film that cost about $12 million to make, beat most predictions by a long shot to earn an estimated $14.2 million and take second place. "Body of Lies" earned an estimated $13.1 million, making it the third-top-grossing film. "The Express" was in sixth place with $4.7 million.
"Body of Lies" is the latest film grounded in the ongoing military engagements in the Middle East to fall flat with U.S. audiences.
The high-water mark for this trend was set with "Jarhead" in 2005, an expensive film set during the first war against Iraq that grossed about $62 million. Since then, a series of films examining both fictional and true events based on U.S. military actions in the Middle East have failed to make back their production costs.
There were five last year: "In the Valley of Elah," ($6.7 million); "A Mighty Heart" ($9.2 million); "Rendition" ($9.7 million); "Lions for Lambs" ($15 million); and "The Kingdom" ($47 million).
