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America proven frivolous.

At least as far as movies are concerned:

Warner Bros.? Leonardo DiCaprio-Russell Crowe starrer ?Body of Lies? and Universal?s ?The Express? were sacked at the weekend box office as moviegoers once again resisted Middle Eastern terrorist pics and sports dramas.

Instead, Disney holdover ?Beverly Hills Chihuahua? stayed at No. 1 in its second sesh, declining a slim 40% to an estimated $17.5 million from 3,218, while Sony Screen Gems? horror title ?Quarantine? came from behind to place No. 2 in its opening, grossing an estimated $14.2 million from 2,461 runs, according to Rentrak....

Ridley Scott?s big-budget ?Body of Lies,? about a conflicted CIA agent tracking terrorists in the Middle East, grossed an estimated $13.1 million from 2,710 to come in a disappointing No. 3. Many thought the pic, sold as an actioner, would win the sesh based on its star power alone.

Or do you think it's decidedly not frivolous of us to eschew serious messages from Hollywood and use movie-going mainly as a lightweight escape? (That's basically the insight achieved by the protagonist in "Sullivan's Travels.") One thing is obvious: People do not want dramas about the Middle East.

Full post as published by Althouse on October 13, 2008 (boomark / email).