Boxoffice-August.11.1975

Ticket Prices Changing
At Neighborhood Houses
CLEVELAND—There are some movie
theatres in this city where the prices of popcorn
and pop axe higher than the admission
fee tout in a recent Plain Dealer feature
Mark N. Dcdosh commented that the days
of the SI houses appear to be numbered.
More than half the local cinemas which
charged $1 admission at the start of the
year have raised thjir prices, he said.
Dodosh's article. headlined "Dollar
Movies Here Find Audiences Will Come
Even If Price Ls $L50;' follows: "Eugene
R. Frank, manager of the Mapletown Theatre
in Maple Heights, said a price cut to $1
two years ago only increased his attendance
slightly, so he raised his price to $L50 in
November 1974. Mapletown is near Southgate
cinemas 1 and IL Frank said he occasionally
charges $1 for second releases but
added that attendance 'all depends on the
picture.'
Certain
Films Attract
"Andrew P. Zuby. manager of the Variety
Theatre in Cleveland, agreed with
Frank. 'The people in this neighborhood are
attracted to certain movies, mostly R-rated.
and they'll come out no matter what you
charge,' Zuby said . . . While Zuby goes
for an adult audience, other cut-rate theatres
are going for the family turnout. 'If
the bigger families just wait a couple of
months, they can see the same film at $1
that they'd pay $3 to see at the mall.' explained
David E. Phillips, assistant manager
of the National Theatre in North Olmsted.
" 'We weren't doing the business at
$2.50 but this year has really been going
well.' Phillips said in exiplaining why National
lowered its price to $1 more than a
year ago. Phillips conceded that the Great
Northern Theatre draws customers away
from the National, since it is a first-run
house. 'But we ran, "Murder on the Orient
Express" about two or three months behind
Great Northern and we drew people like
flies,' he said.
Consumer Attitudes
Noted
"Joseph Rembrandt, owner of the Center
Mayfield Theatre in Cleveland Heights, attributes
the good attendance at his $1 movie
house to 'the economy and the intelligence
of the consumer.'
"Rembrandt, president of the Cleveland
Motion Picture Exhibitors Ass'n. said that
despite competition from the shopping mall
and circuit-owned theatre groups, he refuses
to play distasteful films to attract customers.
'I try to get the family turnout.' he said,
adding that there are few events families in
his area can go to together.
"Arnold F. Porozynski, manager of the
Willow Theatre in Independence, said attendance
at his theatre has not changed
since he increased his price SL.SO from
to
$1 this year. He said he raised it to get
films more quickly from the distributors.
Theatres bid for films from distributors.
The distributors consider the percentage of
gross profit offered by the theatre, .is well
CLEVELAND
^anin Yankees," hit musical by George
Abbott which was made into a motion
is picture, the attraction through Saturday
(23) at Cain Park Theatre. Cleveland
Heights, the nation's oldest municipally
owned theatre. Located at Lee and Superior
roads in Cleveland Heights, Cain Park has
been named as Greater Cleveland's Bicentennial
Heritage Theatre. Admission is $2
tor adults and $1 for students and the reservations
phone number is 371-3000.
A 64-page booklet titled "Playhouse
Square" was published recently which recounts
the history of this city's theatres
from the first performance of a traveling
touring company at Mowry's Tavern near
Public Square in 1820 to the renovation and
restoration of the beautiful old movie
houses on Playhouse Square today. The
booklet chronicles the building of the theatres
that made our town famous on the
B. F. Keith circuit—and vice versa. For
instance, when the Hippodrome was opened
in 1908. its auditorium was among the
world's greatest. It was taken over by Keith
about a year later and was one of the first
theatres to exhibit silent films. Still open
today, the Hippodrome ranks among the
world's greatest theatres, according to the
publication, which was written and designed
by Kathleen Kennedy, publications editor of
the Playhouse Square Ass'n. The building of
legitimate and movie theatres in the city
reached its zenith in the 1920s. The State
and Ohio theatres opened in February 1921
and two months later the Allen opened. The
Hanna was unveiled in March 1921, while
as the ticket prices and capacity of the
theatre,
before accepting a bid.
"Porozynski said isolated independent
AKRON—^James Freeman and 174 South
theatres cannot
convenient
with reduced
draw
shopping
ticket prices
audiences as well as
Main St.. Inc.. an adult theatre in the downtown
area, have filed suit seeking $50,000
center theatres, even
. . . This is why
in damages from three Akron policemen
the Willow and other independent theatres
for allegedly violating the plaintiffs' civil
no longer are first-run theatres, he added.
rights.
"James D. Calafat, owner of the Beach-
Filed in federal district court, the suit
cliff, Lake, Parma and Shore theatres, said
that "all shopping center theatres are very
competitive with the independent." Although
all of Calafat's theatres except the Lake
have reduced ticket prices, he said it is
difficult to increase their attendance beyond
a certain point, no matter what the ticket
price
is."
Renaissance Property Is
To Be Sold August 15
lOLHDO, OHIO— Ihe Renaissance
H