Escaping Reality

Fading fortunes stopping you from hitting the road this holiday season?

Never fear. Exotic climes are as close as your neighborhood multiplex.

The current economic downturn has impacted everything from Las Vegas' visitor volume to holiday shopping.

At the movies, however, audiences still are turning up to globe-trot with James Bond in "Quantum of Solace," escape to Africa with "Madagascar's" zany zoo animals, hit the road with Disney's superdog "Bolt" or brave "Twilight" with its star-crossed teen sweethearts.

Even more new attractions checked into local theaters Wednesday for the long Thanksgiving weekend, from the home-for-the-holidays comedy "Four Christmases" (with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) to the Down Under epic "Australia" (starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman).

And they'll be following the Nov. 21 weekend's sizzling returns: "Twilight's" $70.6 million bite, plus "Quantum of Solace's" $27.4 million and "Bolt's" $27 million grosses.

Overall, 2008 box-office returns are running about 1 percent higher than 2007's year-to-date totals, according to Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Media by Numbers.

But the Nov. 14 debut of James Bond's 22nd cinematic adventure helped push ticket sales 42 percent higher than the previous weekend, signaling the start of an upward trend that continued with "Twilight's" debut, the fourth-highest November opening in box-office history.

"I think it's shaping up really nicely," Dergarabedian says, citing "two really strong weekends in a row" before the holiday arrivals hit theaters. "The box office is up and with positive momentum (building), we're heading in the right direction."

Besides, movies seem to be one area where consumers aren't necessarily inclined to cut back despite widespread budget-crunching.

"I don't know if we're recession-proof," says Jeremy Devine, marketing vice president for Rave Motion Pictures, which operates the Town Square 18. "But it feels pretty darn good to be recession-resistant."

So far, moviegoing has lived up to its reputation for holding relatively steady in tough economic times, observes Rafe Cohen, president of Galaxy Theatres, which operates multiplexes at the Cannery and Neonopolis.

"We really are driven by the movies," Cohen says. "If there's a great movie out there, people will find a way to see it."

Indeed, "the extraordinary one-two-three-four punch" of 007, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," "Twilight" and "Bolt" has exhibitors hoping for a bountiful holiday season, Devine says.

And while he doesn't see a repeat of 2007's $200 million holiday trifecta ("I Am Legend," "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks" all topped $200 million last year), "the extraordinary number of good releases" should be good for business, he predicts.

Now that "Twilight" has opened, Cohen doesn't see "anything people will be in line for the night before, but there's some pretty good stuff out there."

And there's "a real mix, as is always the case," Dergarabedian says.

While "Quantum of Solace" and "Madagascar" represent the only sure-thing sequels ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," initially scheduled for this month, was pushed back to 2009), several dependable box-office draws turn up throughout the holiday movie season.

Will Smith, for example, headlines the drama "Seven Pounds," and "we should never bet against Will Smith," Cohen says, while veteran funny guys Jim Carrey ("Yes Man") and Adam Sandler ("Bedtime Stories") also "should do well."

In addition to broad-appeal releases, the holiday season also brings "less escapist fare," Dergarabedian points out, in the form of various Oscar contenders.

Some of them are in limited release, which means they won't hit Las Vegas until next year -- including "Revolutionary Road," which reunites "Titanic" stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Before 2009 arrives, however, local movie buffs will have the chance to sample such dramas as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (with Brad Pitt as the backward-aging title character), "Milk" (with Sean Penn as San Francisco activist and politician Harvey Milk), "Frost/Nixon" (with Frank Langella reprising his Tony-winning role as Richard Nixon), "Doubt" (with Meryl Streep as a nun who suspects a priest of child abuse) and "Valkyrie" (with Tom Cruise leading a World War II conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler).

And while "the films that benefit most are the purely escapist" ones, in Dergarabedian's view, "if a movie's good enough it will transcend" its more serious nature and "people will still want to see it."

Despite the audience's healthy moviegoing appetite, Media by Numbers reports that overall attendance is down about 4 percent from 2007 levels.

The average ticket, by contrast, has increased from last year's $6.88 to this year's $7.20. (Ticket surcharges for the ever-increasing number of 3-D and Imax shows figure in the increase.)

As a result, "we're seeing some flatness on concessions," Rave's Devine acknowledges, but "we're definitely resisting any temptation to raise prices" at the snack bar.

Especially when audiences seem unlikely to resist temptation in the form of the latest movie treats.

"In the holiday mix, there's an assortment of goodies," Dergarabedian says, from "the ones that satisfy your sweet tooth" to more substantial cinematic fare.

But, let us pray, no turkey(s) on the menu.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.