Will box office receipts peak?

Hollywood has been crowing all year that one of the few bright spots in the recession can be found in darkened movie theaters.Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

It's hard to argue with the raw box office numbers: As of last week, North American grosses were $3.42billion, nearly 16 percent ahead of what they were during the comparable period in 2008. And three weekends into the crucial summer moviegoing season - the May-through- August frame when 40 percent of the year's tickets are sold - the profit picture looks somewhat dimmer than we've been led to believe. The lead in box office ticket sales, for example, may peak very soon.