Box Office: January Sets Record??

The economy's bad, eh? Well it sure doesn't seem to be affecting the box office! With the top 12 films grossing $129 million (compared to last year's $127.7 million), last month was apparently the biggest January box office on record.

The biggest earner of the month, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop", has grossed $83 million since its January 16 premiere. "Milk", "The Reader", and "Frost/Nixon" -- three of the five films nominated for Best Picture -- interestingly failed to contribute much to the month's record-breaking results.

So what do you think this all means? Is the economy on its way to recovery? Or is the film industry simply one that can survive the negative effects of a slowdown?