Updated: 3/24/2009 11:27:19 PM
At a time when most of our lives come up a little short on glitz and glamour, East Tennesseans are seeking out an escape.
"I'm worried very much about money, paying for college," Blake VanDevender, a student at Maryville College said.
"We go home everyday, we've got bills, things are getting worse, people lose their jobs. It's not so fun to go home and watch the news," Nick Bradshaw of Lenoir City said.
So they're turning their eyes and turning over what's left in their wallets to Hollywood.
"We've been here more often I know, it seems every week," Bradshaw said. "It's nice to sit around in a theater and see something that's not bills."
Regal Entertainment Group said nationwide box office sales are up 10-12 percent this year compared to last. They're seeing the same sales trend in their Knoxville theaters.
According to market research collected by the company, movie selection is the biggest factor in determining whether a person will spring the $9 to see a film. If Hollywood isn't making movies people want to see, they're not going to show up.
However, Regal is finding people who say they're looking for a way to get out of the home and forget about their problems at a reasonable cost.
"I enjoy not having to think too much, just kind of being entertained. Just letting it take you where it wants to take you," VanDevender said.
During the 1930's, the Great Depression gave rise to a cheery, dimpled Shirley Temple in American movie theaters. But it also saw bankruptcy filings by two major studios.
Today, it seems the happy-go-lucky spirit is back, but the finances aren't nearly as cold.
"It's an element of just being to escape just how messed up things are," VanDevender said. "I agree completely."
It's well-worth the $9.50, according to many movie-goers, even if the escape only lasts 90 minutes.
