Perhaps the most telling indicator that people are actually freaking out now that the Dow has dropped below 10,000 for the first time in four years: Beverly Hills Chihuahua grossed a staggering $29 million at the box office this weekend.
The correlation between a struggling economy and increased movie ticket sales is well-documented, so it's not surprising that people are turning out to the theaters at a higher rate now than when they used to be able to afford groceries and houses and stuff. (The gross for the top 12 movies this weekend was up 42 percent from the same weekend a year ago.) But still, the success of Beverly Hills Chihuahua—a movie about a pampered pooch named Chloe who winds up lost in Mexico "without a day spa or Rodeo Drive boutique anywhere in sight"—is difficult to comprehend.