Showy piece yesterday in the L.A Times, echoing what we post here last week. Per the LAT:

Despite a recession that has led to drops in nearly every category of consumer spending, box-office revenue is up 8.6% so far this year in the U.S. and Canada and is certain to ultimately top $10 billion, an all-time record. Unlike in many previous years, the increase isn’t being driven by rising ticket prices alone. Attendance is up 4.5% over 2008, according to Hollywood.com Box Office.

A further breakdown of the numbers are revealing:

But the big story at the box office is that audiences aren’t only rediscovering movies, they’re seeing a broader group of them.

This year’s haul is not being driven by a handful of mega-hits. 2008′s No. 1 movie, “The Dark Knight,” grossed $533.3 million domestically, compared with $402.1 million for this year’s top performer, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” 2009 has seen an unusually high number of big but not blockbuster hits that grossed between $150 million and $300 million, such as “Star Trek,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and “Fast and Furious.”

That has led to plenty of talk in Hollywood that recent movies might simply be better quality. But the average grade given by audiences to films this year has been a B, according to CinemaScore, the same as in 2008.

There has also been little change in the demographics of moviegoers, 53% of whom are female and 64% of whom are younger than 35.

So it’s not an increase in the quality of the movies – as all the bitching around GITS this past year demonstrates — but a decrease in the number of movies:

The trend is also being aided by a factor that, on its face, would seem to be a negative for the box office: Due in part to a reduction in private equity financing for production, substantially fewer films have come out this year than in the past. According to Exhibitor Relations Inc., the number of movies released by the end of 2009 will be down 14% from 2008.

“It’s a really good trend for us, because you have the opportunity to play your films longer,” said Jeff Robinov, pictures group president for Warner Bros., which released “The Hangover” and “Blind Side.” “Two years ago it was much harder to break through the noise.”

Let’s review those numbers: Number of movies released down 14%. Box office revenues up 8.6%. Attendance up 4.5%.

So wait a minute. This is literally a case of less being more.

Evidently the less part of that trend will continue in 2010. My guess, looking at the slate for next year as we did here, here, here, and here, is revenues won’t come anywhere near 2009 levels.

How about you? Did you see more movies in theaters this year? And what are your thoughts about how the film business will fare in the U.S. next year?

And to our international readers, how has the movie box office been in your country in 2009?