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In case you haven't heard, things are not all sunshine and rainbows in Hollywood.  This year's economic recession has hit the film industry just as hard, if not harder, than every other industry despite another record-breaking summer box office.  Recent high-profile shakeups at Disney and Universal have made headlines and shocked industry insiders, but the even bigger story is the ominous uncertainty of what will become of the independent film model.  In the past year, we've seen the shutting down of Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse, both owned by Warner Bros., the absorption of Paramount Vantage into its parent company, Paramount Pictures, as well as a major slimming down of staff at Miramax Films and persistent rumors of a financial collapse of The Weinstein Company.  It seems to be a bleak time for independent film.  Or is it?  Maybe it's a live and well - in one for or another.

Here are the box office numbers for the top 20 independent films during the weekend of October 23 - 25:

Title (Distributor/Production Company) Wkd B.O. [Screens/Average], Gross

1. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (Par/IM Global) $21.1M [1,945/$10,850] $61.5M
2. SAW VI (Lionsgate) $14.1M [3,036/$4,650]
3. LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (Overture) $12.4M [2,890/$4,292] $40.0M
4. ASTRO BOY (Summit/Imagi) $6.7M [3,014/$2,224] $6.7M
5. A SERIOUS MAN (Focus) $1.0M [176/$6,211] $3.1M
6. GOOD HAIR (Roadside Attractions) $945K [466/$2,030] $2.8M
7. CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (Overture) $726K [636/$1,142] $12.9M
8. WHIP IT (Fox Searchlight/Mandate) $466K [435/$1,071] $12.2M
9. AN EDUCATION (SPC/BBC/Odyssey) $367K [31/$11,851] $940K
10. COCO AVANT CHANEL (SPC/Canal+) $272K [63/$4,321] $1.7M
11. NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU (Vivendi) $230K [110/$2,092] $747K
12. FAME (MGM/Lakeshore) $212K [445/$477] $22.0M
13. BRIGHT STAR (Apparition/TVA) $212K [209/$1,015] $3.9M
14. TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE** (Warner/New Line) $203K [284/$718] $62.8M
15. I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF (Lionsgate) $178K [273/$655] $51.6M
16. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Weinstein/Uni) $176K [206/$857] $119.3M
17. DISTRICT 9 (Sony/QED) $148K [232/$638] $115.5M
18. 5150, RUE DES ORMES (Alliance Films) $107K [55/$1,955] $787K
19. MORE THAN A GAME (Lionsgate) $99K [107/$929] $749K
20. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (Roadside0 $89K [61/$1,469] $3.4M

According to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood, the Independent Film & Television Alliance defines an independent film as one that's financed in majority from a source outside of the major six studios.  That explains why a major blockbuster like District 9, which was partially financed by TriStar, can be included on this list, seeing as it was primarily financed by QED International.  

But seeing names such as Lionsgate, New Line and Weinstein on this list will undoubtedly raise questions and disputes.  For instance, what makes New Line, which is a division of Warner Bros., independent?  Can mini-majors like Lionsgate and The Weinstein Co., which aim for commercial appeal for often than not, be considered truly independent?  What defines "independent cinema?"  Perhaps the most important question - the one that people avoid asking - is, what does it matter if a film is labelled indepedent or not? 

It's clear that for now and possibly for the foreseeable future, the indie film landscape will be dominated by specialty divisions being cultivated by major studios.  "Well, that's not truly indendent" some may say, "not Jim Jarmusch independent or Killer Films indepdent."  True, but my retort would be, so what?  As long as quality films are being made - and make no mistake; box-office giants Inglourious Basterds and District 9 are high-quality films - what does it matter where the means to the end come from?