Boxoffice-May.21.1979

I
ST.
LOUIS
JJanover Street," Columbia's romantic drama
of the World War II era. opened
May 18 at Northwest, Grandview, Chesterfield.
South County and Esquire.
The Shady Oak, continuing its policy of
featuring art and classic foreign films, is
showing the Italian comedy-drama "'BicikI
and Chocolate."
With additional revenues from the driveins,
two blockbusters are returning in territorywide
multiple showings: "Superman" is
again flying across the screens and the sleeper
of the year. "Halloween," horror-drama
of a boy possessed by evil, opens May 30.
"Young Frankenstein," the zany comedy
starring Marty Feldman and Gene Wilder,
will begin a multiple re-release showing June
Suzanne Gordon, appearing in the current
Woody Allen classic "Manhattan" and soon
to be seen in Robert Altman's latest release
"Rich Kids." is in the cast of "Forever
Vaudeville!" at the Crystal Palace Showroom
in downtown St. Louis.
Marlene Mueller, formerly assistant manager
at Wehrenberg's Hall Ferry 6 is now
manager of their Cross Keys Cine at Lindbergh
and New Halls Ferry Roads. John
Shipp of Thomas-Shipp was in town briefly
to make the rounds with local rep Jerry
Banta.
World Film Festival Called
Injurious to Filmmaking
From Canada Edition
MONTREAL—A leading association of
Quebec filmmakers has attacked the third
annual World Film Festival scheduled to
begin here in late August.
The Association des Realisateurs de Films
du Quebec called the festival a useless and
costly enterprise that served "as an instrument
of propaganda" that further contributes
to the loss of culture of Quebecers.
The World Film Festival, headed by
Serge Losique, shows top new international
films, some of them world premieres, and in
the past two years has attracted big-name
screen stars to the two-week event.
Calling for an end to government support
of the festival, the filmmakers accused the
festival of contributing to the already precarious
economic condition of the Quebec
film industry.
The association proposed the creation of
a new festival that would show Quebec
in films addition to those from other countries.
ShoWesT Will Return
To MGM Grand Hotel
From West Edition
HOLLYWOOD—ShoWesT has been set
for a return engagement in the MGM Grand
Hotel in Las Vegas.
Planners of the annual event are preparing
to accommodate up to 2,500 registrations
in augmented facilities for ShoWesT
'80.
The annual convention of exhibitors from
1 2 Western states will be held in February,
Filmmaker's Expectations
Tempered With Experience
From Canada Edition
CALGARY—Fil Fraser says he realistically
expects only one of the eight feature
films he's planning to make in Alberta to
turn into a big boxoffice success.
The movies represent an investment of
about $20 million during the next three
years and the Edmonton producer and director
naturally hopes they'll succeed financially
and artistically and will try to make each
a winner.
But previous experience indicates to him
that only one of eight is likely to become a
blockbuster. He says that one could do
"pretty well," the others might repay their
costs and one might be a total disaster.
"But you know realistically that one
breakthrough will pay for the other seven,"
Fraser says.
Fraser Film Associates Ltd. of Edmonton
plans to go into production in August on
"The Falcon and the Ballerina."
Blind Bid Law's Effect
Yet to Surface in NX.
From South Edition
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Although North
Carolina's new anti-blind bidding law may
make a difference in available movies and
their prices, distributors and exhibitors say
it is too early to tell.
The law, which passed the General Assembly
April 25 and takes effect July 1,
prohibits movie distributors from renting
movies to theatres before theatre owners
have had a chance to see them. A similar
law in South Carolina allegedly is responsible
for a slight delay in the opening of
first-run
movies.
"I don't think it's going to change anything
radically," says Charlie Hunsuck,
United Artists branch manager. "It may
delay the release shortly, but by the same
token, it may get the producers on the
but the exact dates are still to be fixed.
Robert Selig, general chairman of Sho- ball." Hunsuck said he thought movies
WesT '79. has reported that a record-breaking
might get to North Carolina a month or two
1,484 registered for that convention. later than usual.
Nearly 3,000 attended distributor-sponsored Opinions differ on whether you'll sec
functions and the tradeshow sponsored by more or fewer movies under the new law.
the National Assn. of Concessionaires and Herman Stone, president of NATO of
the North American Theatre Equipment North and South Carolina, said he expected
Assn.
more films.
"We should like to see more pictures in
the marketplace," Stone said. "But the boxoffice
is going to dictate a lot of play time,
which is the way it should be."
But Francis Gormley, branch manager
for 20th Century-Fox, said that fewer small
budget films, such as Fox's "Dreamer,"
would be seen.
ticket -prices.
'Swap Meet' Sets Openings
OMAHA—Steve Krantz's "Swap Meet"
has been set by Dimension Pictures to open
June 20 in 29 theatres and drive-ins in the
Omaha area. Film stars Ruth Cox, Jonathan
Gries, Debi Richter, Dan Spector and
Cheryl Rixon. World premiere of the feature
v/as set for San Francisco May 23.
"It's little pictures that are going to suf-
says Gormley. "They're going to go to
fer,"
commercial pictures that they know they
can get a return on. Maybe pictures like
•Dreamer' don't need to be made. But who
knows what may be shelved"
Theatre owners have said that the risk in
showing blind-bid films helped drive up
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BOXOFFICE :: May 28, 1979