22.08.2014 Views

Boxoffice-January.17.1953

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

ments, cards on street cars, billboards, radio<br />

and television announcements asked: "What<br />

is<br />

DAYL?"<br />

There was much talk about "DAYL," lots of<br />

guesses.<br />

Then on the Sunday before Christmas day,<br />

Ritz announced in the new.spapers and on<br />

the radio the answer was "Donate As You<br />

Leave" would be the Ritz policy starting<br />

Christmas day with a new picture.<br />

A big banner across the front of the theatre<br />

reads:<br />

"Admission FREE. Donate As You Leave.<br />

Admission FREE."<br />

A sign on the <strong>Boxoffice</strong> says; "Welcome<br />

Admi.ssion Free. DAYL."<br />

There is no cashier in the boxoffice.<br />

She stands beside a goldfish bowl at the exit.<br />

A sign beside the bowl says; "We will<br />

gladly make change for you."<br />

That is all.<br />

Some see the show and leave without making<br />

a donation. That's O.K., too. Nothing<br />

is .said to them.<br />

The advertisements .say come and see the<br />

show free, pay what you think it was worth.<br />

The average couple drops in a $1 bill as<br />

they leave.<br />

Some family groups, four or five, drop in<br />

only $1.<br />

Other couples drop in more than $1 and<br />

other family groups $1.50 or $2.<br />

St. Paul, Minn.<br />

ST. PAUL. MINN.—The State Theatre here,<br />

located just outside the Loop, has abandoned<br />

its experiment of one free night a week when<br />

the boxoffice was closed and patrons, entering<br />

the house without buying a ticket, could<br />

donate what they felt the entertainment was<br />

worth if they chose after seeing the show<br />

gratis.<br />

Management said that, helped by a considerable<br />

amount of free publicity and wordof-mouth,<br />

the plan did well the first week, the<br />

Tuesday proceeds from voluntary contributions<br />

and increased sale of popcorn and candy<br />

leaving the theatre better off financially than<br />

it had been on the same nights during preceding<br />

months.<br />

However, there was a falling off both in<br />

attendance and in contributions and refreshment<br />

sales on the second Tuesday. And on<br />

the third Tuesday the "freewill offering" fell<br />

off still further and was not offset by popcorn<br />

and candy profits. Accordingly, the plan<br />

was abandoned after the third Tuesday.<br />

The plan also brought into the theatre<br />

many undesirables, including young rowdies.<br />

Tuesday and most of the other nights are still<br />

a "problem" for the theatre, with the operation<br />

difficult here the same as at many other<br />

outlying houses, but it feels it's better off<br />

charging the admission and operating conventionally<br />

on Tuesdays now than it would be<br />

if it retained the free stunt.<br />

New Pact to David Lipton<br />

NEW YORK—David Lipton, vice-president<br />

of Universal Kctures Corp. in charge of<br />

publicity, advertising and exploitation, has<br />

been given a new three-year contract running<br />

to Dec. 31, 1955, calling for a salary of $1,000<br />

per week until Dec. 31, 1953, with an increase<br />

of $100 per week for the remaining two years<br />

of the pact. His living expenses will be paid<br />

when he is not working in California.<br />

A ROSY REPORT ON STATUS OF INDUSTRY<br />

Wall Street Journal Finds<br />

Something to Cheer About<br />

NEW YORK—The Wall Street Journal,<br />

which has published some brutally downbeat<br />

stories on the prospects of the film business<br />

in the last several years, this week finds<br />

the outlook definitely on the bright side<br />

as of January 1952.<br />

In a nationwide roundup of theatre business,<br />

the financial paper comes up with this<br />

type of upbeat information:<br />

National Theatres, with its circuit of<br />

more than 500 theatres, sagged about 4<br />

per cent in 1953 as compared to 1951<br />

business, but December receipts ran about<br />

12 per cent over a year ago.<br />

United Paramount Theatres, biggest circuit<br />

in the country, ran 11 per cent above<br />

December 1951 business, and its dip for<br />

the entire year was about 2 per cent.<br />

In Texas, Raymond Willie, general manager<br />

of the Interstate circuit, reported<br />

1952 ticket sales were on par with those<br />

in 1951, but that Christmas business was<br />

15 per cent over a year ago.<br />

Excellent product now available is given<br />

as the reason for the unusually heavy holiday<br />

and post-holiday business by exhibitors<br />

interviewed in the Journal roundup. The reports<br />

of record business during the holiday<br />

season substantiated reports published in<br />

BOXOFFICE early this month. Managers of<br />

key houses in several cities said they felt<br />

television had either reached a saturation<br />

point or viewers were becoming bored with<br />

the programs.<br />

An unidentified Chicago exhibitor was<br />

quoted as saying that the weeding out of<br />

some of the weaker houses was leaving more<br />

business for the theatres remaining in business,<br />

and a Cleveland manager suggested that<br />

filmgoers are finding more cash for entertainment<br />

after paying oft heavy debt loads<br />

for cars, refrigerators and other heavy appliances<br />

they took on after the .start of the<br />

Korean war.<br />

The industry will be helped by the anticipated<br />

admissions tax repeal, the introduction<br />

of three-dimensional pictures, use of<br />

17 Neighborhoods Join<br />

In 2 for 1 Ticket Plan<br />

MINNEAPOLIS—In a move to boost<br />

business, 17 neighborhood and suburban<br />

theatres have started a co-op two-for-one<br />

admi.ssion plan. The theatres are selling<br />

"privilege books" at $2, each containing<br />

68 tickets. One of these tickets, when<br />

accompanied by a paid admission, admits<br />

two.<br />

Only independent exhibitors are in on<br />

the plan, and they are merchandising the<br />

sale through display advertising and by<br />

opening a Loop office where they can be<br />

purchased. The Minnesota Amusement<br />

Co., UPT affiliate, is "studying" the plan<br />

before deciding whether to make a similar<br />

offer to patrons.<br />

improved larger screens and widespread renovation<br />

of theatres, according to the Journal.<br />

The roundup article, however, pointed to<br />

the steady decline which theatre receipts had<br />

shown since the top year of 1946. National<br />

Theatres was down 40 per cent from the<br />

peak, and claimed that nationally receipts<br />

were down 20 per cent under the 1947 take.<br />

WB Sells 37 Houses;<br />

Must Divest 24 More<br />

NEW YORK—The sale of 37 theatres, of<br />

which 31 were owned in fee, during the fi.scal<br />

year ended Aug. 31, 1952, is reported in the<br />

annual report of Warner Bros. This total included<br />

nine theatres required to be divested<br />

under the consent decree. One additional<br />

theatre, owned in fee and subject to divestiture,<br />

was sublet. Leases, on three, one of<br />

which was a divestiture theatre, were canceled,<br />

and the lease on one expired.<br />

Since August 31, three theatres have been<br />

sold, one of which had to be divested. Leases<br />

on two were canceled, the lease on one expired<br />

and one subject to divestiture was sublet.<br />

Contracts have been signed for the sale of<br />

three theatres, one of them a divestiture theatre,<br />

and another is a theatre mentioned<br />

above as having been leased.<br />

Since the con.sent decree was entered, 30<br />

theatres subject to divestiture, including those<br />

listed here, have been disposed of by sale, sublease<br />

and cancellation or expiration of leases.<br />

The Department of Justice has extended to<br />

July 4 the date for the divestiture of the remaining<br />

24 theatres. The decree also provided<br />

that a maximum of 27 other theatres might<br />

have to be divested. Eleven of them have<br />

been disposed of and no theatre is at present<br />

affected by the contingencies.<br />

The decree provided that no person affiliated<br />

with a theatre circuit can be elected an<br />

officer or director of the new theatre company<br />

unless approved by the attorney general<br />

and the court. That provision applies to S. H.<br />

Fabian, president, and Samuel Rosen, treasurer,<br />

of Fabian Enterprises, which is buying<br />

the Warner houses. The attorney general, as<br />

a condition to approving the election of<br />

Fabian and Rosen, has required divestiture<br />

of theatres in three cities where no first run<br />

theatres are operated by others than the company<br />

and Fabian Enterprises. Negotiations<br />

looking toward their divestiture are going on,<br />

and when closed, the approval of Fabian and<br />

Rosen as officers and directors of the new<br />

company is expected to be embodied in a<br />

court order, and the stockholders will be asked<br />

to approve the company's consent to the order.<br />

The decree requires that the distributionproduction<br />

and theatre companies must be<br />

operating independently of each other by<br />

April 4 and must not have any common officers,<br />

directors, agents or employes.<br />

The annual report also noted that Warner<br />

Bros, installed large-screen television systems<br />

in eight more theatres during the year,<br />

increasing the total to 13.<br />

BOXOFnCE :: January 17, 1953 15

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!