For the past decade movie-theater queues have resembled waiting lines at a sock hop. Teenagers stormed the box office, and Hollywood cloned films in their image. Their favorite genres -- sci-fi fantasies, peekaboo sex farces, gross-out horror movies -- multiplied on the screen, and sequel followed sequel followed sequel. Who needed adults? Those forgotten creatures stayed home with their TV movies and VCRs. For them the local multiplex was a teenagers' tree house bearing the sign GROWNUPS STAY OUT!
Now one can see a bend in the trend. Last year movie attendance by those 40 and older rose 56% over the...