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Bfooklyn.<br />
. . movies<br />
MANILA<br />
^anila Cinema 1 and 2, one of the newest<br />
and biggest twin cinemas in the country,<br />
owned and operated by Norberto dela<br />
Merced, was burned to the ground July 9.<br />
Since it was a Sunday, both houses were<br />
jampacked. Cinema 1 was showing "One<br />
Summer Love" and Cinema 2 screened<br />
"Fantastic Dabiana," a Philippine film. The<br />
fire was the worst and most tragic that ever<br />
hit a local moviehouse, with 13 dead and<br />
65 injured.<br />
This brought to eight the number of theatres<br />
burned in Metro Manila since November<br />
last year—the Gotesco 2, Gotesco Superama<br />
including its Twin Mini 1 and 2,<br />
Life, Cinerama, Ideal and Delta. Of the<br />
eight theatres gutted by fire, only the Gotescos<br />
were reconstructed and are now back<br />
in operation.<br />
The Life and the Cinerama were exclusive<br />
houses of Philippine films and the rest<br />
were considered Bnglish moviehouses which<br />
showed independent foreign films and<br />
.American major pxtures. All these theatres,<br />
however, also exhibited Philippine films<br />
every now and then in keeping with the<br />
Philippine government's desire of helping<br />
the local movie industry.<br />
The burning of Roman-Rojas Building<br />
March 13 which housed the Cinerama Theatre,<br />
the largest and most luxurious in<br />
Manila, was a big blow to distributors and<br />
especially to the local producers. Cinerama<br />
had been running local films exclusively for<br />
more than two years. Local filmmakers and<br />
distributors eagerly sought it for playdates.<br />
Damage, including property and a considerable<br />
number of prints, was estimated at<br />
30.000,000 pesos and involved the offices<br />
of Cinefilms International, Inc.. Cineworld<br />
Film Exchange, Bancom Eurasia Arts, Alrey<br />
Film Exchange, Evan"s Film Exchange,<br />
Exim Films & Amusements, Inc., Orbit<br />
Films Infl, Quality Films Int'l., Citadel<br />
Films Int'l., Roman Super Cinerama, Inc..<br />
Verlim Film Exchange and Big J Productions.<br />
As an offshoot of the recent fire, the<br />
Metro Manila Commission warned theatre<br />
owners and operators against overcrowding<br />
and rampant violations of the No Standing<br />
Room ordinance in Metropolitan Manila<br />
^^ WATCH PROJECTION IMPROVE WITH^<br />
moviehouses. If the plan to ban SRO or<br />
selling tickets beyond the seating capacity<br />
of the moviehouses is implemented, Marcos<br />
Roces, operator of the Ideal Theatre which<br />
was burned last March, said on behalf of<br />
the theatre owners that such a rule would<br />
result in the financial losses to producers<br />
and distributors of local and foreign films.<br />
However, the Fire Code of 1978 (Presidential<br />
Decree 1185) came into force July<br />
29 and requires theatres to admit only as<br />
many customers as there are seats for them,<br />
which definitely will affect adversely the<br />
daily boxoffice take.<br />
For the month of June, "Saturday Night<br />
Fever," a Paramount release, was a runaway<br />
favorite of Manila moviegoers, outgrossing<br />
the last and final film of Bruce Lee, "Game<br />
of Death," distributed by Manila Films,<br />
Inc., and other action-oriented blockbusters.<br />
It scored a very significant gross of 3,900,-<br />
000 pesos.<br />
The Philippine Theatrical and TV rights<br />
to the Ali-Spinks heavyweight championship<br />
fight scheduled September 15 were<br />
licensed to Orbit Films International, whose<br />
office is located at Suite 512, Roman Santos<br />
Bldg.. Plaza Lacson, Manila. Orbit is very<br />
much interested in buying foreign films,<br />
especially American pictures, for Philippine<br />
distribution.<br />
The plan to limit foreign film importations<br />
into the country, as initiated by the<br />
local filmmakers, was opposed by the<br />
Greater Manila Theatres Ass'n (GMTA).<br />
According to them, "The plight of the local<br />
movie industry is due to its own inadequacies<br />
and incompetence and not because of any<br />
undue effects brought about by the influx<br />
of foreign films into the country." The association<br />
said that "contrary to what has<br />
been claimed, the local market has not been<br />
dominated traditionally by foreign films and<br />
there is no such thing as a monopoly or<br />
even favorable treatment being accorded<br />
to foreign movies." The GMTA further<br />
pointed out that the theatres need between<br />
500 to 600 films for regular exhibition and<br />
that if movie theatres were restricted to local<br />
pictures which number only 200, the<br />
majority of moviehouses would have to shut<br />
down. Johnny Litton, president of the<br />
GMTA and Mever Films Exchange, said,<br />
"limiting the importation of foreign films<br />
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would penalize the people . have<br />
always been the cheapest form of entertainment,<br />
so why should we sacrifice the interests<br />
of millions of Filipinos for that of only<br />
some 50 local producers?"<br />
With respect to claims that restricting<br />
foreign film importations would compel<br />
local producers to make better films,<br />
Litton said, "You limit the importation of<br />
foreign films and the industry collapses in<br />
our country. We must admit that local films<br />
are still quite inefficent."<br />
Some sectors believe that without foreign<br />
competition, local movies can only get<br />
worse, so that the thing to do perhaps is to<br />
increase the importation of good foreign<br />
films to incite local producers to make better<br />
movies.<br />
According to the Philippine Motion Pictures<br />
Producers Ass'n (PMPPA) survey,<br />
some 11.265,709 people attended the theatres<br />
in Metro Manila for the first quarter<br />
of 1977. January, February, June and December<br />
are peak months for movie attendances<br />
in Metro Manila.<br />
Solar Films' boxoffice champion release,<br />
"Snake in the Eagle's Shadow," a Chinese<br />
karate-action import from Hong Kong starring<br />
Jacky Chan and produced and directed<br />
by one of Hong Kong's best directors, Ng<br />
See Yuen, is now on its second all-time record-breaking<br />
v/eek in eight theatres.<br />
Cinefilms International's war action film<br />
"The Dirty Bastards." starring Bo Svenson<br />
and Fred Williamson, opened simultaneously<br />
at eight metropolitan theatres recently.<br />
It is expected to offer stiff competition to<br />
"Snake in the Eagle's Shadow."<br />
Charlotte Martin Pollard<br />
Dies of Heart Attack<br />
POMONA. CALIF.—Charlotte Martin<br />
Pollard, retired veteran United Artists employee,<br />
died of a heart attack July 22. She<br />
was the wife of the late Bert Pollard who<br />
had been with United Artists for 42 years<br />
before his retirement in 1968.<br />
Mrs. Pollard joined UA in Los Angeles<br />
in 1932 as a film inspector. She subsequently<br />
moved up to head inspector, head of the<br />
poster department and became head of the<br />
shipping department in 1952. She was a<br />
member of Local B61.<br />
BOXOFPICE :: August 21, 1978 W-3
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