PINKtank

Americans love their tiny dogs. Beverly Hills Chihuahua raked in $17.5 million this past weekend, taking the top spot for the second weekend in a row. The newest war thriller Body of Lies, with Leo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, saw only $13 million and a measly third place. (The folks who analyze this stuff thought it’d make $20 mill.)

So masses of Americans prefer brainless stories of yippy puppies to dirty war on the big screen. Depressing? Yes. Surprising? No. (Other high-caliber war movies of the past few years have flopped, writes pop culture analyst Bob Thompson).

But in “the real world” this month the American public has yanked its head from the sand to pay attention to the massive tolls of war especially as it links to the economy. Or, if one had been paying attention since 2003 but felt she could do nothing about it, in September one could safely come out of the “concerned citizen” closet. In their debates of Obama vs. McCain and a Wall Street bailout vs. a Main Street bailout, Americans felt the war finally became acceptable cocktail conversation.

And it became a grim reality. So why pay $12 to see the same? Talking dogs seem pretty darn appealing right now.

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