Movies brighten, survive, recession

Moviegoers pushed worldwide grosses to a record $28.1 billion in 2008, up 5.2 percent from the previous year, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Motion Picture Association of America. Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

In addition, MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman told exhibitors at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas that domestic box office for the first 10 weeks of 2009 is ahead of last year's sales by a whopping 11 percent.

"When folks talk about how well the box office is doing, it's nothing to apologize for," Glickman told those gathered for the annual convention sponsored by the National Association of Theatre Owners.