In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, filmmakers — like almost everyone else in the country — questioned the future of their work. Some feared movies would seem forever irrelevant; others said filmmaking would be changed profoundly. Nearly a year later, however, it is clear that the only accurate prognosticators were those who said the movies would be fine. In fact, not only have movies survived, they have thrived beyond all expectations.

        Record amounts of money poured into American box offices this summer. Even more significantly, the absolute number of people buying tickets grew, after years of drifting downward.

        This year, at least three summer films will crack the $200 million mark; last summer only The Mummy Returns hit that height. Weekend after weekend,analysts have been amazed by the numbers; nobody in or outside the studio, for instance, expected Scooby Doo to rake in a staggering $56 million on its opening weekend.

        It is tempting to ascribe the rebound to a post-attack stress reflex — that Americans have always escaped to the movies when times are tough.

        Yet, other factors may be at work:

        • The weather: Blistering heat in some parts of the country and torrential rains elsewhere drove people indoors.

        • The economy: Families cutting back on vacation travel or trips to the amusement park entertained themselves with movies instead.

        • The movies: This summer's slate is inarguably better than last ear's. Pearl Harbor, Jurassic Park 3 and Planet of the Apes all made big money, but they weren't good enough to drive fans back to the theater over and over, as in the case of, say Spider-Man. The Web-slinger saga took in nearly $115 million over its opening three-day weekend and went on to tally more than $400 million.

        Nonetheless, some tantalizing evidence suggests that indeed a mood shift is involved. Movies with PG and PG-13 ratings have been doing well this year, a possible sign of more family film-going.

        Even more provocative have been the poor returns for big-budget — and graphically violent — war movies. Mel Gibson's We Were Soldiers and Nicolas Cage's Windtalkers brought in many millions at the box office, but but far less than their enormous expense required. Likewise K-19 with Harrison Ford did no better than all right with audiences.

        Pound-for-pound, the winningest movie of the summer has been My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a PG-rated comedy made for what passes for a pittance in Hollywood. It cost $5 million and has made 10 times that much at the box office. Even more amazing, it is still expanding into new theaters months after it first opened in a few big cities.

        The romantic tale of a shy young woman who marries a dreamboat, Greek Wedding is a far cry from last year's low-budget sleeper hit Memento, a time-twisting murder mystery.

        If the movies we choose are any reflection of the nation's emotional state, then Greek Wedding makes a persuasive case that a lot of people are happy to skip thrills and chills in favor of an old-fashioned group hug.

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