Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

Record Details:

Title:
Boxoffice
Date:
Apr-Jun 1948
Publisher:
Kansas City, Associated Publications
Volume:
Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)
Leaf #:
000612
Language:
English
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
Media History Digital Library
Sponsor:
Media History Digital Library
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:
BOXOFFICE was the leading American exhibitor trade paper of the post-World War II era. But the publication had modest beginnings. In 1920, Ben Shlyen founded the paper, orginally titled THE REEL JOURNAL, in an office located in Kansas City's Film Row district. Like other regional exhibitor publications, THE REEL JOURNAL focused its attention on the local -- in this case, KC and the nearby territories that the city's distribution exchanges served. By the end of the 1920s, however, Shlyen had acquired or founded several more small exhibitor papers serving other US markets. In 1932, their titles all changed to BOXOFFICE, though they continued to be published in regional editions for decades to follow. -- Eric Hoyt, 2015
Date Added:
March 21, 2024
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74% OF THEATRES, 62% OF SEATS IN U. S. CITIES UNDER 100,000 MPAA Survey Indicates Audience Potentials In Smaller Towns NEW YORK — Though 85 per cent of the film revenues in the U.S. reputedly come from first run theatres in cities of 100,000 or more population, the theatre survey made by the MPAA shows that the greater potential audience for pictui-es is in smaller cities and towns. The survey, which brings to light data never before made available to the industry, shows that 74 per cent of the nation’s theatres and moi’e than 62 per cent of their seating capacity is in communities of 100,000 and less. A SEAT FOR EACH 11.2 PERSONS It discloses, also, that the south is the least developed area theatrewise. A comparison of population in relation to the seats available shows nine southern states and West Virginia at the head of the list. These ten are followed by four midwestern farm states, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. For the nation as a whole, there is one theatre seat for each 11.2 persons. In South Carolina this ratio is 19.8 to 1. In Kentucky and Alabama it is more than 18. Only Texas and Florida, among the southern states, has a population-to-seat ratio better than the national average. In Texas there is a theatre seat for each 9.3 persons and in Florida there is one for each 8.8. The far west has the greatest number of seats per person. In Nevada there is one seat for each 5.6 people, in California one to 7.7, in Utah one to 8.1, and in Oregon and Idaho one to 8.6. Population density apparently has very little to do with the seat ratios. Connecticut, where villages and cities are within a few minutes motoring distance of each other, has practically the same ratio as Montana, noted for its great open spaces. The 25 largest cities in the country all have more seats per person than the national average, except for Washington, D. C. In the nation’s capital there is one seat to each 11.6 persons. New York and Chicago just come under the national average. In New York the number of persons per seat is 10.3 and in Chicago it is 10.5. CLEVELAND MOST HEAVILY SEATED Among the 25 biggest cities, Cleveland is the most fully seated. It has a seat for every seven persons. Other heavily seated big cities — with a seat for each eight or fewer people — are San Francisco, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Houston. The largest theatres, natm’ally, are in the most densely populated centers. There are 94 theatres in the U.S. with 3,000 or more seats, and 25 of them are in New York state. The average capacity of U.S. theatres is 643. However, 9,520 theatres, or more than half of the national total, have a capacity of 500 or less. On a state basis, theatres are largest, on the average, in New Jersey. Its average theatre has 1,072 seats. Massa SEATING CAPACITY OF U. S. THEATRES BY SELECTED GROUPINGS t STATE Total Theatres Over 3,000 Seats 3.000 to 2.001 2,000 to 1,501 1,500 to 1,001 1,000 to 501 500 to 251 250 and under Ivg. No. Seals Alobomo Afliono 286 94 — 3 {1-0%) 2 (0.7%) 2 (2 11 14 (4 9%) 4 (4.31 90 (31 2%) 38 (40 4) 135 (46 9%) 44 (46 8) 44 (15.3%) 6 (6.4) 538 579 Arkaniat 339 — — — 11 (3.21 84 (24 8) 156 (46.6) 86 (25.4) 423 Colifornio 1,107 * (0.4%) 32 (2.9) 59 (5.3) 154 (13.9) 533 (48 11 270 (24 41 55 (5.0) 805 Colorado 204 — 3 (1,5) 3 (1,51 10 (4.9) 55 (27.01 85 (41 6) 48 (23.5) 515 Connecticut 191 36 67 4 (2.n 7 (3.7) 17 (8.9) 2 (5 6) 3 (4.51 30 (15.71 3 (8,3) 11 (16.4) 79 (41 41 17 (47.2) 30 (44 8) 53 (27,7) 13 (36.11 15 (22.4) 1 (0.5) 937 DIst. of Columbia 1 f?.5) 2 (3.0) 5 (7.4) 850 Florida 321 2 f0 6J 5 (16) 9 (2.8) 35 (10.91 128 (39.9) 104 (32.4) 38 (11.8) 671 Georgia 333 1 f0.3J 5 (1.5) 6 (1 81 16 (4 81 118 (35 4) 154 (46 21 33 (10.0) 600 143 3 (2.1) 37 (25 91 65 (45.4) 38 (26 6) 425 Illinois 940 9 ft 01 29 (3.1) 40 (4 21 95 (10.11 330 (35 I) 360 (38 3) 77 (8.21 741 Indiono 448 2 (0 4J 10 (2.2) 7 (1.61 34 (7 61 167 (37,3) 188 (42.0) 40 (8 9) 617 Iowa 533 — 4 (0,7%) 6 0 1%) 8 0.5%) 105 0 9 7%) 196 (36.8%) 2U (40 2%) 406 Kansas 380 2 r0,7%) 1 (0.4) 3 (I 11 14 (3 7) 109 (28.7) 175 (46 0) 79 (20.8) 480 Kentucky 285 2 fO 7) 1 (0 4) 3 (1 11 18 (6.3) 89 (31.2) 119 (41 7) 53 086) 535 Louisiana 369 2 (0.5) — ^ 8 (2.2) 14 (3 8) 124 (33 6) 181 (49.11 40 (10.8) 558 158 3 (I 9) 1 (0 6) 13 (8 2) 51 (32 3) 66 (41 8) 24 05 2) 567 Moryland 256 1 (0.4) 3 (12) 5 (1 9) 24 (9,4) 98 (38 3) 105 (41 0) 20 (7.8) 653 Massachusetts 391 4 n .O) 17 (4 4) 42 (10,8) 86 (22,0) 186 (47 6) 52 (13 2) 4 0 0) 1,022 Michigan 678 4 (0 6) 11 (16) 23 (3 4) 89 (13.1) 220 (32 4) 267 (39 4) 64 (9 5) 707 Minnesota 475 1 (0 2) 5 (1 1) 2 (0 4) 22 (4 6) 136 (28 6) 198 (41 7) 111 (23.4) 496 Mississippi 269 — — — 7 (2 6) 71 (26.4) 151 (56 I) 40 04.9) 461 Missouri 557 5 (0.9) 4 (0 7) 12 (2 2) 39 (7.0) 201 (36.1) 223 (40 0) 73 03 1) 616 Montona 138 — — 3 (2 2) 5 (3 6) 27 (19 5) 52 (37 7) 51 (37 0) 422 Nebraska Nevada . .. . New Hampshire 322 39 87 1 (03) 2 (0 6) 1 (I, I) 2 (0 6) 12 (3,8) 2 (5.11 8 (9 2) 48 (14 9) 13 (33,3) 37 (42 5) 121 (37,6) 16 (41.0) 33 (38 0) 136 (42 2) 8 (20 6) 8 (9 2) 410 508 601 New Jersey New Mexico 402 106 8 (2 0) 19 (4 7) 47 (11,71 98 (24 4) 4 (3 8) 166 (41 3) 36 (34 0) 62 (15,4) 48 (45 3) 2 (0,5) 18 0691 1,072 487 New York 1,291 25 (1.9) 97 (7 5) 138 (10 7) 209 (16 2) 514 (39.8) 253 (19 6) 55 (4 3) 999 North Corolina North Dakota 479 191 — 1 (0 2) 3 (0 6) 18 (3 8) 3 (I 6) 144 (30 1) 17 (9 0) 250 (52 2) 66 (34 5) 63 03 1) 105 (54 9) 489 300 Ohio Oklohoma 854 477 8 (0.8) 16 (1.8) 37 (4 3) 3 (0 6) 78 (9.1) 18 (3 8) 316 (37 0) 132*(27 7) 304 (35 91 242 (50,71 95 01 I) 82 (17.2) 698 475 Oregon 235 1 (0.4) 1 (0 4) 4 (1 7) 15 (6,4) 75 (32 0) 103 (43 8) 36 (15.3) 538 Pennsylvania 1,159 6 (0.5) 26 (2,2) 64 (5.5) 134 (11 6) 420 (36 2) 447 (38 6) 62 (5 4) 741 Rhode Island South Carolina. .. South Dakota 62 209 189 1 (1,6) 5 (8 I) 4 (6,51 11 (17.7) 6 (2,9) 1 (0.5) 30 (48.4) 56 (26 8) 21 (11 I) 10 (16.1) no (52 61 65 (34.4) 1 0,61 37 (17.71 102 (54.01 1,017 460 312 Tennessee 301 — 3 (I 01 5 (1 6) 21 (7.0) 131 (43 5) 120 (39,9) 21 (7.01 615 Texos Utah. 1,278 138 66 1 (0 I) 10 (0,71 8 (0.6) 4 (2 91 58 (4.5) 6 (4 3) 4 (6 0) 445 (34,8) 32 (23 31 24 (36 41 636 (49.9) 72 (52.21 29 (44.01 120 (9.41 24 07.41 9 03.61 540 492 542 372 2 (0 51 3 (0.8) 19 (5 1) 158 (42 51 151 (406) 39 00 51 558 Washington . 315 I (0 3) 4 (1.31 6 (1.9) 18 (5,7) 102 (32 4) 131 (41.61 53 (16,8) 563 West Virginio . 298 — 2 (0,71 2 (0 71 17 (5 7) 57 (19.1) 145 (48 61 75 (25 2) 467 Wisconsin Wyoming 422 59 — 10 (2 41 10 (2 4) 34 (8,0) 2 (3.41 126 (29 91 18 (30 51 195 (46 2) 24 (40 7) 47 (11.11 15 (25.41 613 459 TOTAL 18.351 94 r0 5%) 343 (1.9%) 599 (3.2%) 1 ,555 (8 5%) 6,241 (34 0%) 7,062 (38 5%) 2,458 (13.4%) 643 fOp«fl theotr*! only. Drive-in theotrei are eicluded. chusetts and Rhode Island also have an average of more than 1,000 seats per theatre and New York has 999. At the other extreme is North Dakota, where the size of the average theatre is 300 seats. The MPAA says there are 18,351 theatres in operation in the 48 states, not including drive-ins. The total seating capacity is 11, 10 BOXOFFICE :: May 1, 1948