Boxoffice-December.20.1952

:
Becomes
Films Open for Xmas
Mild Preholiday Business
Smash as 11
NEV/ YORK—While the pre-Christmas
business remained mild as theatregoers concentrated
on last-minute shopping, the
grosses took a tremendous jump the latter
part of the week as 11 new pictures opened
in time for the holiday. Among them was
"Stars and Stripes Forever," which reopened
the Roxy and its giant stage ice show December
22, and "Hiawatha," which reopened
the Bijou, closed for several months.
The other new films included: "Come
Back, Little Sheba," "My Cousin Rachel,"
"Ruby Gentry," "Blackbeard, the Pirate,"
"April in Paris," "Against All Flags," "No
Time for Flowers," "The Black Castle" and
"The Importance of Being Earnest." All
started strong on Christmas day. "Pony
Soldier" had a good first week at the Globe.
Among the holdovers, the Radio City Music
Hall, with "Million Dollar Mermaid" and the
annual "Nativity" stage pageant, had a third
week which topped the two previous weeks
and long lines started forming December 25
as always during the holiday season. "Hans
Christian Andersen" had another strong
week, its fourth, at both the Criterion and
Paris theatres. "Limelight" also continued to
do good business at two theatres, the Astor
and the Trans-Lux 60th Street. "This Is
Cinerama" remained at absolute capacity for
its 12th week at the Broadway Theatre and
extra holiday matinees will bring the gross
to a new high during the holiday season.
"Forbidden Games" was best of the foreign
films in its second strong week at the Little
Carnegie, but "Two Cents Worth of Hope"
was also strong in its opening week at the
World. "The Promoter," in its eighth week
at the Fine Arts: "Leonardo da Vinci," in its
fifth at the Guild, and "Under the Red Sea,"
in its fifth week at the Beekman, also held
up well and will continue into 1953.
(Averoge Is 100)
Astor— Limelight (UA), 9th wk 115
Baronet The White Line (IFE), 2nd wk 105
Beekman Under the Red Sea (RKO), 5th wk 115
Broadway— This Is Cineramo (Cinerama), reserved
sects, 1 2th wk 1 50
Copitol—Because of You (U-l), 3rd wk 100
Cinemo Verdi The White Line (IFE), 3rd wk 105
Criterion Hons Christian Andersen (RKO), 4th
wk 145
Fine Arts The Promoter (U-l), 8th wk 125
Globe Pony Soldier (20th-Fox) 120
Guild Leonardo da Vinci (Picturo), 5th wk 105
Little Carnegie Forbidden Gomes (Times), 2nd
wk 130
Loew's Stote Hangman's Knot (Col), 2nd wk. ..100
Moyfoir The Thief of Venice (20th-Fox), 4th wk. 90
Normandie—Crisis (MGM), revival 1 00
Polace Torpedo Alley (AA), plus vaudeville .. 1 10
Paramount Stop, You're Killing Me (WB), plus
stage show, 2nd wk
1 05
Pons Hans Christian Andersen (RKO) 4th wk.. J45
Radio City Music Hall Million Dollar Mermaid
(MGM), plus Christmas stage show, 3rd wk...l50
Rivoli The Snows of Kilimanjaro (20th-Fox), 14th
wk 100
Roxy Stars and Stripos Forever (20th-Fox), plus
stoge ice show—opened December 22.
Sutton The Four Poster (Col), 10th wk. . 100
Trans-Lux 52nd Street O. Henry's Full House
(20th-Fox), lOth wk 100
Trons-Lux 60th Street—Limelight (UA), reserved
scots, 9lh wk 110
Victorio Breaking the Sound Barrier (UA), 7th
^^,k 1 00
World—^Two Cents Worth of Hope (Times) 125
Philadelphia Holdovers
Top First Run Grosses
PHILADELPHIA—The only pictures to
break even were "Because You're Mine" in
the ninth week at the Arcadia, and "Snows
of Kilimanjaro" in a ninth week at the
Midtown.
Aldine— Face to Face (RKO) 70
Arcadia—Because You're Mine (MGM), 9th wk. ..100
Boyd Flat Top (AA) 50
Fox— Ivanhoe (MGM), I 0th wk 50
Goldmon Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (Col).... 75
Mastboum Thunderbirds (Rep) 50
Midtown Snows of Kilimanjaro (20th-Fox), 9th
wk 100
Randolph My Pal Gus (20th-Fox) 95
Stanley Montana Belle (RKO) 45
Stanton The Raiders (U-l) 60
Trans-Lux The Hoppy Time (Col) 90
Buffalo Grosses Slump
Below Average Mark
BUFFALO—Boxoffices failed to do much
jingling around the local rialto. What little
business there was went to the Buffalo with
"Outpost in Malaya" and to the Paramount
with "Abbott and Costello Meet Captain
Kidd."
Buffalo Outpost in Malaya (UA) 90
Center— High Treason (Pocemaker) 85
Cinema The Quiet Man (Rep), 3rd wk 80
Century Hunchback of Notre Dame (RKO); Cot
People (RKO), reissues 80
Lafayette Black Narcissus (AA) 75
Paramount Abbott and Costello Meet Captain
Kidd (WB) 90
Teck The Prisoner of Zendo (MGM), 3rd wk... 80
Pittsburgh Grosses Slip
As Shopping Mounts
PITTSBURGH—Grosses were down at theatres
while near record crowds were downtown
shopping. Tlu-ee offerings were holdovers.
Fulton— Bloodhounds of Broadway (20th-Fox) . . . . 60
Harris—Becouse of You (U-l), 10 doys 90
Penn Plymouth Adventure (MGM), 2nd wk. . . . 70
Stanley—The Iron Mistress (WB), 2nd wk 75
Warner Blackbeard the Pirote (RKO), 2nd wk. . . 75
'Member' Set for Sutton
NEW YORK—Stanley Kramer's "The Member
of the Wedding," starring Ethel Waters,
Julie Harris and Brandon de Wilde in the
roles they created in the Broadway stage
version, will open at the Sutton Theatre December
30. following a ten-week run for "The
Four Poster," also a Kramer picturization of
a stage hit. Both pictures are Columbia releases.
Subway Recommends "Stars'
NEW YORK—The New York subway "Go
See Picture of the Month" car card beginning
Monday (22) recommended "StarE and
Stripes Forever," 20th-Fox film that opened
the next day at the Roxy Theatre.
Usherettes Calm Crowd
When Fire Hits Theatre
mass i
Isnte
Alto
pictures and a Walt Disney RKO release tt
follow in January and February. All in Tech-^
nicolor. "Niagara," a 20th-Fox drama star-:
ring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Gotten ano
Jean Peters, will follow "Stars and Stripes'
in January. Walt Disney's "Peter Pan." cartoon
feature, will open at the Roxy February 4
and "Call Me Madam," starring Ethel Mer^
man in her original stage role in the Irving
Berlhi musical, is also booked.
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BOXOFFICE :: December 27, 195:.
lOXOFRcE