Film Weekly 1961-62 year book : Canadian motion picture industry with television section (1961)

FACTS ABOUT EXHIBITION CANADA now has two provinces with movie houses open on Sunday, Ontario having joined Quebec as a seven-day operation this year. Ontario has local autonomy and the public has expressed its wishes by plebiscites, a number of which will be held this year. There is a discernable public interest in Sunday movies in other provinces also. SIGNS of liberalization in the censors’ ap¬ proach to films can be noted, with Brit¬ ish Columbia having added the Restric¬ ted Category, and it is hoped other prov¬ inces will follow. Nine of Canada’s 10 provinces have censorship, Newfoundland being the exception. The absurdity of films for theatres being censored and television content being free from censor¬ ship of any kind continues. ESTIMATE in the decline of Canadian theatre accommodation since the peak year, 1955, is placed at 15 per cent by the Composers, Authors & Publishers Association of Canada. CAPAC rates drive-in capacity at three to a car, which is why its accommodation loss figure seems low to industry people. Up to Sept., 1960 there were 25 per cent fewer the¬ atres in operation than during the peak year and 31 per cent of those open at that time have disappeared. The addi¬ tion of many drive-ins and some stand¬ ard houses helped keep the 25 per cent figure from being higher. The reason that the decline in seating is so small com¬ pared to the other figures is that the smaller theatres were the first to close. NEW THEATRES: Since January 1, 1961 five theatres have been built in Can¬ ada, of which four were drive-ins. Of these two were in BC, one in Man. and one in Ont. The auditorium theatre was in Que. Two standard houses and seven drive-ins are on the planning boards. In 1960 six theatres opened, one of them a drive-in. CLOSINGS: From January 1 to Septem¬ ber, 1961 25 standard houses closed. In all of 1960 78 four-wall theatres and two drive-ins shuttered. From January 1 to September, 1961 one theatre was put out of business by fire, while in 1960 eight theatres were destroyed by fire. AVERAGE admission price in 1959 was 58c, up six cents over that of 1958. Que¬ bec’s 65c was the highest in Canada and Newfoundland’s 41c the lowest. These figures do not include amusement taxes. The per capita expenditure in 1959 was $4.70 compared with $5.21 in 1958 and $5.46 in 1957. FILMS released for theatrical booking in 1959 included 543 35 mm. features and 108 16 mm. features. French-language features totalled 135 in 35 mm. and 18 in 16 mm., while 86 35 mm. ones were in other languages. Of the short subjects 113 cartoons were in 35 mm. and 38 in 16 mm. The total of all types of films released theatrically in 1958 was 1,098, with 886 being in 35 mm. and 212 in 16 mm. CAPACITY utilized of theatre seating was 19 per cent in 1959, two per cent lower than in 1958 and 1957, which were the same at 21 per cent. The record figure was that of 1946 — 37.6 per cent. PAYROLL: The collective wages and salaries of the 6,825 men and 4,712 wo¬ men employed in theatres in 1959 (11,537 employees compared to 11,776 in 1958 and 12,688 in 1957) was $16,505,588 against $17,110,735 in 1958 and $17,669,425 in 1957. Forty-nine film exchanges working from 119 offices paid 491 male employees $2,585,779 and 498 female workers $1,424,809. Exchange payrolls declined in totals, the drop from 1958 being about $95,000. THEATRES OPERATING (35 mm.): So many theatres are closing and reopening in Canada that it is difficult to determine how many are operating at a particular time. However, Canadian Film Weekly records show that in September, 1961 there were 1,407 standard theatres (not including one with Cinerama and 10 of¬ fering live drama) and 235 drive-ins. A year ago CFW figures showed that 1,466 standard houses and 231 drive-ins were doing business. 25