Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
1<br />
Picture Records at the Nation's Boxoffices<br />
GROSSES<br />
Vhe iUIA<br />
55 Features in "Hit" Class<br />
Scoring 120% or<br />
More<br />
llpEATURE releases for 1950-51 and the box-<br />
•"l office records made by them are challenging<br />
to those who have pictured motion<br />
pictures as on their way out of the public entertainment<br />
field. Not only were 371 features<br />
released the past season in comparison with<br />
359 for 1949-50, but of these releases, 168 are<br />
shown to have done average business (100<br />
per cent) or better in theatre first runs and 55<br />
of them were top hits—playing to 120 per cent<br />
or over. Last season there were 53 in the top<br />
hit class and 136 did average business or better.<br />
A study of the report shows that 45 per cent,<br />
nearly half, were average grossers; and better<br />
than 10 per cent of the whole became top hits.<br />
Tell that to the gloom-spreaders!<br />
While figures for the average base percentage<br />
gross must be changed every few<br />
months, the economy is naturally geared for<br />
making a reasonable profit. The top grosser,<br />
"David and Bathsheba" scored 211 for the<br />
1950-51 season as compared with "Samson<br />
and Delilah" which ran up to 221 per cent for<br />
1949-50. There were still two features for the<br />
present season that did more than 200 per cent<br />
of average business, and eight did more than<br />
150 per cent. This is, not as many in that<br />
bracket as last season's figures, which show<br />
13 with 150 per cent business or better. Also,<br />
last season seven did more than 140 per cent<br />
and only six came that high this season. Going<br />
further, 14 .did 130 per cent or more last year<br />
and only ten this year. However, 31 came<br />
over the top at 120 per cent or more this year<br />
compared with 19 in that bracket last year. So<br />
the picture as a whole is still good from the<br />
boxoffice standpoint.<br />
This year 12 of the top hits were winners of<br />
the BOXOFFICE Blue Ribbon Award compared<br />
to 1 1 last year—which means that all of the pictures<br />
selected by the National Screen Council<br />
for their family entertainment this year were<br />
top money-makers. This is a wholesome note<br />
on the public's taste in screenfare,<br />
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer again had the most<br />
releases which were top grossers, producing 1<br />
hits. The runnerup was 20th Century-Fox, with<br />
ten hits. The other companies were represented<br />
by the following, in the order of the number<br />
produced Warner Bros, had seven. Paramount<br />
and RKO tied with six each. United<br />
Artists, five Universal-International, four; Republic,<br />
two; Lopert, one.<br />
(These Scored Ratings of 150°o or More)<br />
DAVID AND BATHSHEBA (20th-Fox)<br />
SHOW BOAT (MGM)<br />
THAT'S MY BOY (Para)<br />
TALES OF HOFFMANN (Loperl)<br />
WKING SOLOMON'S MINES (MGM)<br />
RIVER, THE (UA)<br />
IJGREAT CARUSO. THE (MGM)<br />
4>ALICE IN<br />
WONDERLAND (RKO)<br />
211<br />
201<br />
179<br />
.168<br />
176<br />
170<br />
1S7<br />
157<br />
(These Scored Ratings of 140% or More)<br />
BORN YESTERDAY (Col) 149<br />
AT WAR WITH THE ARMY (Para) 148<br />
WKIM (MGM) 146<br />
CYRANO DE BERGERAC (UA) 146<br />
OCAPTAIN HORATIO HOHNBLOWER (WB) 142<br />
^FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND (MGM) 142<br />
These Scored Ratings of 130% or More)<br />
HALLS OF MONTEZUMA (20th-Fox) 138<br />
UHARVEY (U-I) 138<br />
^.'ROYAL WEDDING (MGM) 138<br />
DALLAS (WB) 137<br />
OUR VERY OWN (RKO) 137<br />
THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, THE (RKO) 137<br />
OPERATION PACIFIC (WB) 135<br />
MR. MUSIC (Para) 133<br />
KON-TIKI (RKO) 131<br />
WON THE RIVIERA (20lh-Fox) 130<br />
ij'Winners of Blue Ribbon Award<br />
38<br />
BAROMETER Section
Change language