While the rest of Madison Avenue staggered through a horrendous 2009, movie theaters’ ad spending gained 2 percent, with in-theater advertising rising to $584 million, according to the Cinema Advertising Council.

“New advertisers and new, emerging advertiser categories made cinema part of their spending in 2009 even though it would have been very easy for buyers and planners to have stayed the course during such a difficult year,” said Michael Chico, the trade group’s president and chairman.

So far this year, spending on in-cinema ads is experiencing double-digit increases across the board, Chico said.