The current economic situation may be a horror for most businesses, but the movie industry is expecting a happy ending.Ticket sales this year are up 17.5 percent to $1.7 billion, and attendance has risen nearly 16 percent, according to Media by Numbers, a box-office tracking company.If attendance continues to increase at the same pace it has for the past six weeks, it would amount to the biggest box-office surge in at least two decades.Chad Browning is the marketing manager for Regal Entertainment, which runs Citiplace theater on Corporate Boulevard. He said the economy may have something to do with the recent increase in movie attendance.”People seem to be turning to the movies to escape from the daily worries of their professional lives,” Browning said. “In economic uncertainty, movies are still a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment when you compare it to sporting events, concerts or going out to eat.”Last weekend was the first weekend in six-straight weeks that failed to surpass 2008’s numbers, going against a $45 million debut from “Horton Hears a Who” last year. Despite being behind last year’s numbers for the week, the top-12 box office movies managed to gross $89,152,014, with Disney’s “Race to Witch Mountain” leading the way at $25 million.”Lately, we’ve had some pretty good products,” Browning said. “It always helps when you have a good slate of films.”Browning noted “Watchmen,” which grossed more than $86 million in its first two weeks.Jeremey Devine, vice president of marketing at Rave Motion Pictures, which operates two theaters in town, said he has noticed an increase in ticket sales this year.Strong performances from “Taken,” ($24,717,037) “Paul Bart Mall Cop” ($31,932,632) and “Coraline” ($16,849,640) have helped the industry survive the months which usually serve as “post-Christmas dumping grounds,” Devine said.He said January and February are typically slower months as sales tend to drop-off after Christmas, and blockbusters are held for summer releases. “In addition to the idea of escapism and price, new things in technology and presentation seem to be capturing the audience’s interest,” Devine said. “We have 14 3-D films scheduled for 2009 and the first half of 2010.”Devine said movies released in 3-D typically gross three times as much as the same movie presented in a traditional format.The last time there was a double-digit jump in attendance was in 1989. The unemployment rate was at a comfortable 5.4 percent, but people were still showing up at theaters in record numbers. But in 1982, when unemployment reached 10 percent, theater attendance jumped 10.1 percent and then fell nearly 12 percent in 1985 as the economy picked up. “We are enjoying recession-resistant business,” Devine said. “The cliché of the slow economy driving movie attendance as form of escapism has proven true for us.”For students struggling to pay the bills and stay employed, going to the movies can be a pleasant distraction. Tickets range in price from $8 to $9 depending on the theater, and all Baton Rouge theaters offer student discounts.Caroline Trenticosta, liberal arts junior, said she can see why people see movies as an inexpensive entertainment option.”I like going to the movies because they are fun,” Trenticosta said. “They make me think of happy times.”Yvonne Everhardt, English senior, said the movies are fun, but they’re still too expensive. “I usually just stay home and watch movies,” Everhardt said. “It’s cheaper.” —-Contact Jack LeBlanc at [email protected]