Boxoffice-May.03.1952

JOHNSTON SEES INDUSTRY DUE
FOR NEW SUCCESSES IN 1952
Need Is for Better Films,
Streamlined Distribution
And More Showmanship
NEW YORK—The motion picture industry
can move forward to new successes
from its accomplishments of, 1951. Eric
Johnston, president of the Motion Picture
Ass'n of America, told the annual meeting
P:-iday »2). He said progress will be fashioned
from experience, a realistic appraisal
of problems and a clear definition of needs.
Johnston outlined a program around
which progress should revolve.
FILM QUALITY IMPROVED
efforts
'Continued improvement in the quality, diversity
and appeal of motion picture entertainment
is of prime importance," he said.
"All reports from the studios herald another
great year of outstanding motion pictures tc
follow the successes of 1951. Showmanship
methods and more intensified promotional
to support the pictures should be further
improved, both at the national and local
levels. Techniques powerful enough to penetrate
the growing ranks of selective moviegoers
must be devised to build boxoffice response
to films which now offer such a variety
in treatment and theme.
"The traditional machinery of the industry
for distribution of film in this country should
be streamlined. Changing patterns of demand,
traiisportation and population have
dislocated the accustomed patterns. For the
sake of economy and of better service, there
are many possibilities which an industry that
is determined to be modern and up-to-date
must explore for itself. The goal of this effort
is to get films to the theatres in the best
and cheapest way possible.
"The international market is of great importance
to the industry and to the nation.
There are few American industries whose
portion of income from exports is so great.
No other industry makes a greater contribution
to the promotion of the democratic way
of life throughout the world. For these reasons,
maximum efforts must continually be
made to keep foreign markets open to American
films on a fair and equitable basis.
AHEAD ON TECHNICAL LINE
"The invention and development of new
technical methods can open new doors of opportunity
for the industry. Further efforts
in the field of technical reseaixh, in the
utilization of new media such as frequency
space for theatre TV, and in developments
in the use of sight and sound are urgent. Perhaps
greater progress can be made by promoting
many technical developments on an industry-wide
basis.
"The removal of barriers to the industry's
welfare is essential. There have been increasing
impediments to the industry's progress
from taxes, antitrust litigation and censorship.
The industry is carrying a burden of
direct taxes on theatre admissions which Is
unfair and discriminatory. We are prepared
to carry our share of the tax burden and
more, but admissions taxes which strike heavily
at the boxoffice as the present ones are
Johnston
Eric
Johnston
Re-Elected
To MPAA Post
NEW yoRK— Eric Johnston wa.s reelected
president of the Motion Picture
Ass'n of America
at its annual meeting
Friday (2i.
Other incumbent
officers were reelected.
Slate for 1952:
Eric
President,
Johnston ; v i c e -
president and director
of the Production
Code Administration,
Joseph
I. Breen;
vice-president in
charge of international affairs, John G.
McCarthy; vice-president, Joyce O'Hara:
secretary, Sidney Schreiber; assistant
secretary, William H. Roberts; treasurer,
F. W. DuVall: assistant treasurer, Stanley
R. Weber; assistant treasurer-assistant
secretary, James H. Howie.
All directors were re-elected, as follows:
Johnston, Bai'ney Balaban, Theodore R.
Black, Nate J. Blumberg, Steve Broidy,
Jack Cohn, Cecil B. DeMille, Ned E. Depinet,
Earle W. Hammons, Joseph H.
Hazen, Norton V. Ritchey, Hal E. Roach,
Nicholas M. Schenck, Spyros P. Skouras,
Albert Warner, Austin Keough, W. C.
Michel, John J. O'Connor, Herman Robbins,
Abe Schneider, Sam Schneider, C. B.
Stratton, Paul H. Terry, Joseph R. Vogel,
William H. Clark, Herbert J. Yates.
without justification. Relief must be sought
by bringing the economic facts to the attention
of the lawmakers.
"One of the projects the entire industry is
looking forward to is the completion of a
workable arbitration system. Among other
things, such a system may materially reduce
the financial drain on the industry of antitrust
litigation.
"I am hopeful the months ahead will bring
a clear-cut test in the Supreme Court of the
United States of the constitutionality of motion
picture censorship. A free screen should
be as much a sacred right as free .speech and
a free press."
Johnston called 1952 "a year of growing
confidence." He said U.S. films have reached
out to 72 per cent of the world's screen time
in 95,000 theatres and have been seen and
loved by a world audience averaging more
than 230,000,000 people, with 150 different
languages and dialects. The American people
alone paid more than $1,300,000,000 to see
films in 1951, and "thus the industry received
at the boxoffice several times more income
than all other paid admission industries put
together."
"It is impossible," he said, "to think about
the Industry and Its achievements without
great pride— pride in the people of the Industry
and pride In the nation whose way of
life made such things possible."
NATIONAL INCOME IS UP
Di.scussing the topic of films In an expanding
economy, Johnston said that gros.s national
product in 1951 ro.se to the record peak
of $328,000,000,000, an increase of 55 per cent
over 1946, that national income rose to a
new record of $276,000,000,000, or 53 per cent
higher than the 1946 level, and that personal
consumption expenditures of $206,000,000,000
were 40 per cent higher than in 1946.
"While the economy was expanding," he
said, "the nation's population was increasing
and changing in pattern. We now have more
people, more families, more young married
persons, a record number of children and,
significantly, fewer young single adults and
more older per.sons. All this added up, obviously,
to better boxoffice prospects for motion
pictures. There was more money and
there were more people to spend it. But what
occurred? In the post-war years the industry
failed to keep pace with its potential markets."
Johnston said the boxoffice began in 1947
a relatively steady downward trend because
of economic conditions, population shifts, a
lack of new theatre construction, the expansion
of other recreational facilities and problems
within the industry, including a marked
change in marketing procedures brought
about by antitrust decisions, foreign restrictions
and the rapid increase in production
costs. He saw the long and gradual recession
halted in April 1951, followed by a perceptible
upward trend in June that continued through
the early weeks of November.
LONG LIST OF TOP FILMS
"The greatest single reason for this boxoffice
boost," he said, "was the .successful effort
of the studios to Improve their product.
Hollywood showed once again that it had a
positive answer to difficulties—high quality
entertainment. Not in recent years has there
been so long a list of great pictures, outstanding
in their entertainment and dramatic
values."
Other reasons for the upswing were given
by Johnston. He named increasing cooperation
among all branches of the industry, the
success of Movietime U.S.A. and more revenue
from abroad, resulting in substantial Increases
over the previous year. Revenue gains In
local currencies offset the 30 per cent devaluation
in a number of overseas countries and
dollar remittances were topped only in 1946.
he -said. He mentioned the new Anglo-
American pact establishment of unrestricted
Importation into Germany, new Italian and
Spanish agreements, implementation of the
1950 agreement with Argentina and increased
remittances from Australia, South Africa,
Finland and Holland, among many others.
He said the upward trend continued during
the year but that now there are "warning
signs" in many markets abroad.
BOXOFFICE May 3, 1952