Boxoffice-May.31.1971

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'Billy Jack' Climbs
To 500 in KC Third
KANSAS CITY—"Billy J;ick" continued
to flourish at Glenwood I. adding 50 points
to its grossing percentage during a third
week and climbing to 500 per cent. The
Warner Bros, release ahead) has a remarkable
record here, since its first week brought
outstanding 400 business: week two gained
50 more grossing points, week three 50
more. So the question is. with the Memorial
Day weekend normalK a boost to most
Rims, will "Billy Jack" climb to 550 or
even 600? For the answer; see next week's
barometer report. Elsewhere in Kansas City,
Sweet Sweetback" brought the Steady jingle
of customers' cash to lour boxoffices for
a composite 310 first week and remarkable
"Love Story" added a 275 in its 22nd Fine
Arts week. A pair of 200s was on the board.
these twice-average percentages going to
"Ryan's daughter." 13th week. Capri, and
"The Stewardesses." also 13th week. Kimo.
{Average Is 100)
Antioch, Metcalf, Uptown Derby (CRC) 90
Brookside— The Music Lovers (UA), 2nd wk 140
Capri— Ryan's Daughter MGM), 13th wk 200
Claco, Crest, Heart^Beasr of the Yellow Night
SRi Creature With the Blue Hand (SR)
Embassy I—The Confession (Para), 2nd wk
100
100
F.ne Arts— Love Story (Para), 22nd wk
Five theatres—Celebration at Big Sur (20th
Five theatres—The Hard Ride AIP)
275
85
120
Fox)
Four theatres— Sweet Sweetback
Glenwood I— Jock
SR)
wk
310
Billy (WB), 3rd 500
Glenwood II, Parkway One, Towne 2 A New Leaf
(Para), 7th wk
Kimo—The Stewardesses wk
100
200
(SR), 13th
Plaza The Beguiled (Univ), 3rd wk 110
"Cross and Switchblade' 225
In Chicago Roosevelt Debut
CHICAGO—The holdovers, which were
making gross news week after week, have
started to taper off. "The Cross and the
Switchblade." newcomer at the Roosevelt
Theatre in the Loop, grossed 275 per cent.
"Sweet Sweetback" grossed 275 per cent in
its second week at the Oriental and "The
Big Doll House." third week. Woods,
grossed 225 per cent. "The Stewardesses"
continued to be a top grosser, with 325 per
cent in the ninth week at the Loop Theatre.
In the suburban houses. "Wuthering
Heights" and "Bananas" were leaders.
Carnegie— The Lickerish Quartet (SR), 4th wk. .150
Chicago Love Story (Para), 21st wk. . . . . . . 175
Cinema Tristano (SR), 4th wk 100
Esquire—Mod Dogs & Englishmen (MGM),
3rd wk 175
Loop The Stewardesses SR), 9th wk 325
Michael T dd- The Andromeda Strain (Univ),
7,n * k
nOriental— Sweet Sweetback wk
125
275
(SR), 2nd ....
Playboy— Bed and Board 3rd wk (Col), 150
Roosevelt— The Cross and the Switchblade SR) 275
Shangri La - Relations (SR), 10th wk 175
State Lake— The Mephisto Waltz (20th-Fox),
3rd wk
,,
150
United Artists— Summer of '42 (WB), 3rd wk. . . 200
Wood:—The Big Doll House (SR), 3rd wk 225
Razing Contract Awarded
SOUTH BEND. IND.—The com.,,.'
for the demolition of the Granada Theatre
has been awarded In the city of South
Bend to Hd Siebert & Sons Construction
Co. The movie house is being razed to
make way for an urban redevelopment
project.
"Lloyd Williams and His Brother"
based on an original script by Walter Hill.
Astro Theatre Owners Sue
KC Terminal Railway Co.
KANSAS OTY—TaUmark, Inc., owner
Of the Astro Theatre, located in Kansas
City's Union Station, Fuesdaj (25) sued
the Kansas City Terminal K.ulw.o. ( o I"
stop the partitioning off oi the waiting
room at the station, which the theatre
Owners sa> would block access fol then
patrons. A restraining order was signed b\
Judge J, Donald Murph\ o! the Jackson
C ountj Circuit Court prohibiting the setting
up ol the partitions and a hearing was set
for 9:30 a.m. June 25.
In us petition TaUmark states that the
partitions would close off the waiting room.
A letter from the terminal company quoted
in the suit said theatre patrons could come
in through the east midway, running along
the waiting room, using gate No. lb. The
midways along the east and west sides of
the long north-south waiting room, provide
access to and from the tracks below. When
the station was built in 1914 it was served
b) 226 trains a day. Since Saturday (I),
the figure has been six.
"As you know." the letter from the
terminal company said, "the Kansas City
Terminal Railway Co. intends to close oft
the main waiting room area of the Union
Station for economic reasons."
Plans were to build a 16-foot-high partition
at the south entrance to the waiting
room, north of the coffee shop, and a
second one was to be erected south of
gate No. 16. The theatre entrance is at the
rear (north) end of the station waiting
room.
TaUmark leased its space, the location
of the old Circle Theatre, Feb. 1. 1969.
for five years. The lease document included
a diagram showing the main entrance, the
petition
said.
L&M Circuit Twin
Set for Joliel, 111.
CHICAGO—L&M Management Co. continues
its expansion program with a theatre
complex slated for Inwood Plaza in
Joliet, III. Robert A. Bachman. executive
vice-president, said a new free-standing
motion picture theatre will be constructed
on a four-acre plot adjoining the recenlK
opened Eagle Super Market on West Jefferson
Street.
The site is within the planned shopping
center development of Inwood Pla/a. near
the athletic field, golf courses and the Joliet
Junior College, which is now under construction.
Bachman said the movie theatres, to be
called Inwood Cinema I and II. should
open next spring. There will he combined
sealing for 1,600 persons and parking
facilities to accommodate all patrons.
Dorothy R. Berman is president ol I ,\\l
Management, which also owns and operates
23 other indoor and outdoor theatres in
Illinois. Indiana and Iowa, including present
locations in Joliet.
Variety of Illinois Will
Honor Henry Plitt
( Ilk \(,o When membt
Yancts Clue ol lUii
Henry Plitt. president
of ABOGreal States,
at a luncheon to be
held I uesd.o.
.
I line B,
at
Embassador
Guildhall in
W
the
s t e
Hotel. Shernll Cora
in, president ol \ a-
riet\ Clubs International,
will be master
ceremonies.
ot
Plitt. who is a
member ol the execu
Henrv
Plitt
live board ot NATO and a caiuasman ol
Tent 26, will be honored, not onl\ for his
leadership m exhibition, but for his civic
contributions. He is president of the I nited
Cerebral Palsy Ass'n of Cue. Her Chicago
and a director and one of the founders ol
the Joseph Jefferson Awards Fellowship
of Chicago.
Speakers will be Julian Rifkm. Boston
showman, who is chairman of the NATO
executive hoard: Arthur Rubloff. a lellow
member of the United Cerebral Palss
executive board: Marshall Korshak. civic
leader: Chicago Sun-Times columnist lr\
Kupcinet; Mrs. Fred Fnedlob. one ol the
directors of the Jefferson Awards Fellowship;
Jack Clark, president of NATO of
Illinois, and Henry Markbreit. Tent 26
chief
barker.
Nat Nathanson. Eastern sales manager
of Four Star Excelsior Film Distributing
Co., is chairman of the Varietj Club tribute
to Plitt. Co-chairmen include Jack Clark.
Robert Flannery. Raymond Fox. Mrs. I red
Fnedlob. Mrs. loms ColdHatt. Allan Hurwitz.
Marshall Korshak. Irv Kupcinet. Arthur
Rubloff and Bene Stein.
The committee also includes representatives
of all the motion picture distributing
companies serving exhibitors throughout the
Midwest.
Campus Theatre Damaged
By Over-Eager Patrons
MANHATTAN. KAS. - A boxoffice
window at the Campus Theatre was broken
Dight (7) when a crowd, comprised
main!) o\ college students, tried to gel into
the movie house for the late-night showing
of an X-rated movie. Police said the
breakage was caused by the momentum of
the crowd shoving against the ticket booth
and the theatre doors.
There were DO injuries and no arrests
were made in connection with the incident,
although police said one person was
arrested on a charge of drunkenness at the
scene.
Reported!), patrons were lined up a
half-block in each direction waiting to enter
the Campus Theatre. Although the movie
was scheduled for II p.m.. the lines started
forming at approximate!) 1(1 p.m.
BOXOFFICE :: May 31, 1971 C-l