Canadian Film Weekly Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry (1962)

the theatre and the provisions of Section 3 of these regulations shall not apply to a Drive-In Theatre. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Imposed Under The Amusement Tax Act The annual fee is $2 with the exception of chain theatres for which the licence fee is $300 for each theatre. This regulation also applies to drive-in theatres. RECEIPTS AUDITORIUM THEATRES ECEIPTS from the sale of tickets of 1,427 regular motion picture theatres at $65,504,666 in 1960 were the lowest in over a decade and 4.2% below receipts of $68,370,049 reported by 1,515 theatres in 1959. The number of paid admissions in 1960 at 107,705,112 was the lowest recorded since 1935, when an attendance of 117,520,795 was reported for regular theatres and com¬ munity enterprises, and 9.2 per cent below admissions of 118,633,400 report¬ ed in 1959. A net decrease of 88 thea¬ tres reduced seating capacity to 771,278 from 809,348 in 1959 and the potential number of admissions to 585,098,647 from 615,389,662. Paid admissions in¬ dicated that 18 per cent of the average capacity was utilized. The estimate of potential admissions is based on the normal programs shown by theatres throughout the year. Potential admissions may be either overstated or understated depending on whether normal programs are in¬ terrupted during the year. For this rea¬ son the measurement of average capa¬ city utilized is not considered entirely satisfactory but is of some value as an indicator. Receipts from sources other than sales of tickets were valued at $11,678,799 and included $10,660,831 from the sale of candy, drinks, cigarettes, etc., ($10,817,214 in 1959), $503,910 from the rental of concessions and vending ma¬ chine space ($385,146), $69,860 from showing commercial films ($73,245) and $444,198 from other sources ($456,717). Except for Quebec, where there was no change indicated in the amount of receipts from admissions, all provinces recorded decreases. Newfoundland in¬ dicated the largest decrease at 21.5% and Manitoba the smallest at 3.2%. All provinces indicated a decrease in the number of paid admissions, New¬ foundland showing the largest (28.7%) and Manitoba the smallest (3.7%). PRICES The average admission price (exclud¬ ing taxes) for Canada was 61 cents in 1960 compared with 58 cents for 1959. The average price increased in all pro¬ vinces except Manitoba, Newfoundland indicating an increase of 5 cents and New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and British Columbia showing an increase of 1 cent. PAYROLL Regular theatres employed 10,560 per¬ sons in 1960 and paid in salaries and wages $16,143,398 compared with $16,505,588 received by 11,537 persons in 1959. These employment figures in¬ clude executives of incorporated firms but do not include proprietors of un¬ incorporated firms who were actively engaged in the business. In 1960, 542 proprietors and partners were actually employed in the business, 403 of whom received no stated salary but shared only the profits of the enterprise. There were 139 proprietors and partners who drew regular salaries or wages estima¬ ted at $330,386. Added to this were 546 members of proprietors' families em¬ ployed in the business but not receiv¬ ing a stated salary, bringing the total work force of proprietors and unpaid family members of these unincorpor¬ ated firms to 1,088 in 1960. DRIVE-INS RIVE-IN figures for 1960, issued by the Dominion Bureau of Sta¬ tistics in March of 1962 as part of its annual film-theatre report, show a slight decrease in the number of es¬ tablishments, total car capacity, re¬ ceipts and number of paid admissions over the previous year. It is likely that these losses will not continue, since several new factors have boosted public interest in drive-ins. One is year-round or almost year-round oper¬ ation, there having been perhaps 12 in this category in 1960-61 and even more have tried this in 1961-62. A good ma¬ ny are getting earlier runs on betterquality pictures ad some are day-anddating with in-town theatres. There were 232 drive-in theatres operating in Canada during 1960 with a capacity for 88,755 cars, a decrease 35