Chuck,

I think KT should have qualified his post that it's a no brainer for those with no brains.

I think movies do an amazing job of capturing and responding to the marketplace of ideas in society. So far, sex and violence have been extremely popular culturally, as measured by box office sales. Hollywood found early on how to reach the least common denominator of society, because that's where the most money is. I think over time is has just devolved to a lower and lower common denominator in line with the country's social values. If Brokeback Mountain does as well at the box office as other films, that will be an indication that movie going Americans aren't too concerned about what kind of sex is in movies, whether homosexual or hetero, just that sex and love stories do sell.

Violence has always sold well, since the beginning of the movie industry. Generally the most violent movies don't sell as well, depending on context. Hostel sounds more like gratuitous violence and isn't likely to rank up there with the extremely violent, but kind of documentary Saving Private Ryan.

If theaters dump Brokeback and show Hostel, I suspect it's just a local reaction to local squeaky wheels. I doubt the theaters really care; for them it's all about selling overpriced popcorn, etc.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.