Film Weekly 1956-57 year book : Canadian motion picture industry (1956)

there is certainly a much better response at the boxoffice generally than in the United States. Occasionally a British movie will click and outgross most Ameri¬ can ones. It is not to be taken that all theatres regularly book British films. However, for many theatres there is a good booking possibility of several films per month. Amusement and other taxes continue to be a heavy burden on our business. Exhibitor associations throughout the country are striving constantly to reduce or eliminate these charges but there are many difficulties to be overcome. Nothing so fortunate as the removal of the amuse¬ ment tax up to admissions of 90c, as in the United States, has happened or is likely to happen soon. Some cities, in addition to provincial tax, have municipal amuse¬ ment and seat taxes. On the brighter side there are many places in the world where taxes are considerably higher. Jj! * # Bingos as opposition have plagued our business throughout the country for many years and in some areas have reached monstrous proportions. Prizes have to¬ talled thousands of dollars in addition to automobiles and other valuable articles. It is questionable if charity gains to the ex¬ tent it should by lending its name to cloak these games with legality. This competi¬ tion has always been unfair and theatres are stopped from using similar means to' entice patrons. However, there is now some talk that the Criminal Code will be amended and tightened up to definitely limit the number of big bingos and the value of prizes which can be dispensed. This should be a welcome relief. s>: * * In the struggle for survival, theatres in the last decade found candy bars and the dispensing of soft drinks a great and im¬ portant source of revenue. Some theatres with suitable facilities have added hot dogs and hot drinks and found them profit¬ able. In a further search for additional revenue, some have embraced screen advertising and this trend seems to be growing. A majority of theatres are now satisfactorily equipped with wide screen and CinemaScope. However, only a minor¬ ity, composed mostly of large theatres in bigger cities, have embraced stereophonic sound. There is some bitterness because this type of print is not always available. Distributors have found it uneconomical to bring in sufficient stereophonic prints and are reverting more and more to optical sound. It would appear that full conver¬ sion to stereophonic sound must be a gradual one and can only be accomplished at great expense to the distributor by continuing to bring in more prints than actually necessary in order to adequately service both types of sound or the alterna¬ tive of a practical dual sound print. Exhibitors continue to search for some extra lure or gimmick which will draw people away from TV sets and other timeconsuming diversions. Some have received great help from such diversions and others have failed to benefit but the search continues. * * While in the last year there has been some activity in drive-in theatre building, few hard top theatres were erected. It is unlikely that these conditions will change in the next year. There is not yet a sufficiently clear picture to indicate what kind of theatres are practical for the future and at the moment mortgage money is extremely hard to obtain. * * * Distribution is faced with a set of prob¬ lems of its own. Reduced attendances and grosses in theatres have, in turn, meant reduced rentals and receipts for distribu¬ tors. Yet, constantly rising salary demands and other costs continue to grow. It is becoming increasingly evident that it is uneconomic to operate six branches, fully staffed from selling office to shipping room, in a country where the potential yield is only that of one good branch office in the United States. The cost of routing salesmen over vast stretches of territory for very small yields, now shrinking, forecasts two possibilities. It is foreseeable that there will be a reduction in the number of branches by eliminating the low gross and the uneconomic ones. It is likely that there will be a reduction of some or all road salesmen. Small town exhibitors would thereby be faced with the alternative of buying and booking by mail, visiting exchange centres periodically, or employing the service of one of the book¬ ing agencies which have sprung up all over the country. Feature film production is not yet an important factor in Canada, yet there are growing signs that knowledgeable people are becoming aware of its economic possi¬ bilities. One no longer assumes that the only place good films can be made on 23