Boxoffice-June.1989

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the
... lOCO 11
NATIONAL NEWS
The March of All Time
Domestic film boxofflce In March rose
$4.32, up from last year's $4 10. The total
number of tickets sold is up more than 6%.
For the first three months of 1989, the gross
take is $907 million, the highest ever this early
in the year. Cumulative ticket sales are nearly
3% ahead of 1988.
The Exhibitor Who
Liberated Europe
Henry Plitt, a veteran of World War II as
well as the exhibition industry, received the
Raoul Wallenberg "hero in our time" award
March 22. Plitt, currently Showscan's chief
executive, was the first U.S. paratrooper to
land at Normandy.
"Running on Empty"
Walks Off With Top Honors
"Running on Empty" was named best picture
of
the year by the Academy of Family
Films and Family Television March 25
Individuals
honored for their contributions to family
viewing included Jeff Bndges for "Tucker;
The Man and His Dream," Shirley MacLaine
for "Madame Sousatzka," and producer
Douglas Wick for "Working Girl."
Indie Fortunes Rally
After Early Trials
almost 13"o over last year's numbers, with Hard times for independent distributors are
"Lean on Me," "Rain Man" and "Bill and reflected in the first-quarter statistics for new
Ted's Excellent Adventure" leading the pace U.S. film releases Only 100 pictures opened
Other March successes included "Skin domestically, compared with 136 in 1988's
Deep," "Fletch Lives," "The 'Burbs," opening quarter. The drop was almost completely
attributable to the independent sec-
"Chances Are" and "Police Academy 6."
Cumulative three-month national grosses tor The majors unleashed 35 feature films
are at a record high, up nearly 9".. from a year during the quarter, same as last year. Slightly
ago. The current bull market at the boxoffice fewer were domestic productions, as the
is now in its 33rd month. Variety estimates number of subtitled imports swelled to in-
March business at $225 5 million on 52.2 million
tickets sold at a composite price near
clude "Hanussen," "Chocolat," and "Field of
Honor"
As evinced by booming boxoffice numbers,
the majors have had relatively few marginal
releases this year, with minor territorial
bookings arranged only for Paramount's
"The Experts" and MCM's "Mindgames" and
"Wicked Stepmother." Several other studio
releases had limited bookings, but drew
national exposure from their New York openings,
like the unfortunate "Bert Rigby, You're
a Fool."
Conversely, the struggling independents
have managed only one 1,000-print national
release so far in 1989: New Century/Vista's
"Rooftops," which flopped. This is at variance
with recent years, when once-healthy
Cannon, DEC, Atlantic, Empire and others
each typically mounted wide releases almost
monthly. The only good news for independents
was a slight upturn in March, when 26
indies came out, 17 of them American-made.
That was level with 1988's March results.
Overall, though, the first-quarter shortfall extrapolates
to a 1989 total of about 400 major
and independent new releases, the lowest
figures since 1984
Don't Go to Cineplex
Without It
Under a new agreement with American
Express Travel Related Services, the 1,820-
screen Cineplex Odeon circuit will start accepting
American Express cards for the purchase
of tickets to Its 500 North American
multiplexes The program was slated to go
into effect by May 1.
"Stand and Deliver"
Aces the Indies
"Stand and Deliver, film about schoolteacher
laime Escalante and his maiden class
of inner-city calculus whizzes, skewed the
curve at
the fourth annual Independent Feature
Project awards March 25. Originally
made by PBS for "American Playhouse" but
released theatrically by Warner Brothers,
"Stand and Deliver" captured six out of the
10 Independent Spint trophies given, including
best feature, and failed to win only one
honor for which it had been nominated -
the best cinematography prize, which went
to Sven Nykvist for Orion's "The Unbearable
Lightness of Being."
Hemdale Sews Up
Arbitration Over Presales
In a decision having broad implications for
presale agreements made by independent
producers, Hemdale Film Corp. has won an
arbitration award in London against AAA SA
- a leading French theatrical distributor -
for breaching its
films.
contract to distribute seven
Brian Eagles, the arbiter who made the
ruling for the American Film Marketing Association
tribunal, awarded Hemdale full payment
of its $700,000 presale guarantees.
Hemdale, which will retain all rights to the
pictures, was also awarded what it called
"substantial damages" for broadcast, cable
and video rights, which have remained unsold
because of the French company's decision
not to release the films theatrically. Kathy
Morgan of Hemdale hailed the decision as
"extremely important for all companies doing
Films Inc. Inks Film
Advertising Deal
Advertisers can now reach the lucrative
college marketplace by sponsoring film society
screenings on campus through Films Inc. A
60-year veteran of college distribution. Films
Inc.'s university showings generate annual
revenues of $12 to $15 million The films
shown - 85% are 16mm pnnts - have typically
completed their first-run theatrical engagements,
but haven't yet come out on video.
For advertisers - other than cigarette or
liquor companies, whose ads are not being
solicited - it's a prime way to reach college
students. Besides buying screen time for their
commercials, advertisers are also undertaking
direct marketing campaigns. In one instance,
students will get free candy bars upon
entering their campus theatre, then see a
commercial for
begins.
the product before the film
Festival and Event Calendar
July 8-17
July 12-14
Aug. 24-Sept. 4
Aug. 25-Sept. 2
Sept. 1-4
Sept. 6-10
Sept. 7-16
Sept. 14-21
Sept. 22-27
Sept. 22-Oct. 9
Sept. 29-Oct. 15
Oct. 3-5
Oct. 5-12
Oct. 12-16
Oct. 12-19
Oct. 22-29
Nov. 2-5
Nov. 9-12
Nov. 14-19
Moscow International Film Festival
Mid-Atlantic NATO (Virginia Beach, VA)
Montreal World Film Fest
Montreal Film Market
Telluride Film Festival (Colorado)
Women of the Motion Picture Industry (New Orleans)
Toronto Festival of Festivals
Boston Film Festival
Cinetex
New York Film Festival
Vancouver Film Festival
ShowEast (Atlantic City)
Mill Valley (California) Film Festival
Mipcom (Cannes)
Denver Film Festival
Mifed (Milan)
Film Arts Fest (San Francisco)
American Indian Film Fest
Sarasota Film Festival