Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1961)

THE NATIONAL FILM WEEKLY Published in Nine Sectional Editions BEN SHLYEN Editor-in-Chief and Publisher DONALD M. MERSEREAU, Associate Publisher & General Manager NATHAN COHEN. .Executive Editor JESSE SHLYEN Managing Editor HUGH FRAZE Field Editor AL STEEN Eastern Editor IVAN SPEAR Western Editor I. L. THATCHER .. Equipment Editor MORRIS SCHLOZMAN Business Mgr. Publication Offices: 825 Van Brunt Blvd. Kansas City 24, Mo. Nathan Cohen, Executive Editor; Jesse Sblyen, Managing Editor; Morris Schlozman, Business Manager; Hugh Fraze, Field Editor; I. L. Thatcher, Editor The Modem Theatre Section. Telephone CHestnut 1-7777. Editorial Offices: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 20. N. Y. Donald M. Mersereau. Associate Publisher A General Manager; A1 Steen, Eastern Editor; Carl Mos, Equipment Advertising. Telephone COlumbus 5-6370. Central Offices: Editorial — 920 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 11, 111., Frances B. Clow, Telephone Superior 7-3972. Advertising— 5809 North Lincoln, Louis Dldier and Jack Broderick, Telephone LOngbeach 1-5284. Western Offices: Editorial and Film Advertising— 6404 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. Ivan Spear, manager, Telephone HOllywood 5-1186 Equipment and Non-Film Advertising — 672 S. Lafayette Park, Los Angeles, Calif. Bob Wettsteln, manager. Telephone DUnkirk 8-2286. London Office: Anthony Gruner, 1 Woodberry Way, Finchley, No. 12. T“lepbone Hillside 6733. The MODERN THEATRE Section Is Included In the first Issue of each month. Atlanta: Martha Chandler, 191 Walton NW Albany: J. S. Conners, 140 State St. Baltimore: George Browning, 119 E. 25th St. Charlotte: Blanche Carr, 301 S. Church Cincinnati: Frances Hanford, UNnlversity 17180. Cleveland: W. Ward Marsh, Plain Dealer. Columbas: Fred Oestreicher, 52% W. North Broadway. Dallas: Mable Gulnan, 5927 Winton. Denver. Bruce Marshall. 2881 S. Cherry Way. Des Moines: Russ Scboch, Register-Tribune Detroit: H. F. Reves, 906 Fox Theatre Bldg., WOodward 2-1144. Hartford: Allen M. Wldem, CH 9-8211. Jacksonville: Robert Cornwall, 1199 Edgewood Ave. Memphis: Null Adams, 707 Spring St. Miami: Martha Lummus, 622 N.E. 98 St. Milwaukee: Wm. Nlehol, 2251 S. Layton. Minneapolis: Don Lyons, 72 Glenwood. New Orleans: Mrs. Jack Auslet, 2268% St. Claude Ave. Oklahoma City: Sam Brunk, 3416 N. Virginia. Omaha: Irving Baker, 911 N. 51st St. Pittsburgh: R. F. Klingensmith, 516 Jeanette, Wilklnsburg, CHurchiil 1-2809. Portland. Ore.: Arnold Marks, Journal. Providence: Wm. Trambukls, Loew’3 State. St. Louis: Joe & Joan Pollack, 7335 Shaftsbury, University City, PA 5-7181. Salt Lake City: H. Pearson, Deseret News. San Francisco: Dolores Barusch, 25 Taylor St., ORdway 3-4813; Advertising: Jerry Nowell, 417 Market St., YUkon 29537. Washington: Charles Hurley, 306 H. St. N. W. In Canada Montreal: Room 314, 625 Belmont St.. Jules Larocbelle. St. John: 43 Waterloo, Sam Babb. Toronto: 2675 Bayview Ave. Willowdale, Ont. W. Gladish. Vancouver: 411 Lyric Theatre Bldg. 751 Granville St., jack Droy. Winnipeg: 300 New Hargraves Bldg., Kenneth Beach. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Second Class postage paid at Kansas City, Mo. Sectional Edition, $3.00 per year. National Edition, $7.50. JULY 2 4, 1 9 6 1 Vol. 79 No. 14 WANTED: STEADY CUSTOMERS THE GAIN in dollar volume in theatre grosses attained in 1960 over that reached in 1959 was heartening, as George Roscoe put it, at the convention of the New Mexico Theatre Owners Ass’n, but he saw an unhealthy sign in the fact that the improved gross came from fewer patrons. The Theatre Owners of America director of exhibitor relations used as the basis for his talk the recent report of Sindlinger & Co. which stated that the income gain of 1960 was the result of an average admission price rise of nine cents, while overall attendance dropped two per cent. In the face of the socalled population explosion, Mr. Roscoe did not consider this as favorable a sign as would have obtained had an increase in attendance brought the increase in gross. That’s a good point to raise and one which producer-directors and exhibitors and all others in this industry should contemplate. It should serve as a reminder that there is “safety in numbers” or it could be taken as a warning that it portends “danger” when the numbers (of patrons) decrease. Mr. Roscoe attributes the attendance drop to the industry “not giving the public enough of what they want to see often enough to make them really steady customers.” We are inclined to agree, feeling that much of the volume of attendance this past year may have been derived largely from a comparative handful of so-called blockbusters. A danger sign was and continues to be inherent therein, for there is a school of thought that advocates concentration of attention to such “super” product to the virtual abandonment of all else. Cutting down on production, as would thus be the case, would be inviting dire consequences, even though enough theatres remained to operate profitably on a high-scale two-a-day policy. That loomed as an incipient danger when about a dozen such attractions came on the market this past year. In some cities, where as many as four such shows were going at the same time, it limited attendance to just the four pictures for the year. First, because of the importance attached to those pictures and the planting of the feeling with the public that these were the ultimate best, and, perhaps, the only pictures worth seeing; and, second, because the cost factor cut so largely into family entertainment budgets that they didn’t have money left for any more showgoing. That’s not the way to develop the moviegoing habit, which is just as much an essential to the industry’s progress today as it was yesteryear. The public may be more selective than it was a dozen or so years ago, but the greater the choices offered, the greater the frequency of choices to be made. This brings to mind one of our pet bones of contention: The cutting down of the choice by the practice of multiple day-and-date showings and the fast playoffs that deny thousands of potential patrons sufficient opportunities to see ALL the good pictures that are available. This is, perhaps, one of the greatest movie habit destroyers — created by the industry itself. It’s another form of quick-buck grabbing that leaves a lot of empty seats in its wake. Talk with exhibitors about it and they blame the distributors; and vice-versa. Both are at fault. The problem could soon be remedied, if only there were a will to do it, and a thought about tomorrow, next week and next month, let alone next year. Stop this dissipation of good product and you’ll revive more regular attendance by enough millions of people to show steady increases in patronage along with increases in grosses. Another deterrent to building and holding steady patronage volume is the practice of bunching the release of good product within limited periods, such as during the summer months, for example. This “feast” later results in a “famine” and again, whatever moviegoing habit may have been built up is dissipated by the dearth thus created during the “off season.” We’ve been a staunch advocate of the industry putting its best foot forward — but not that it stick it out too far at any one time and, then, have to pull it back so sharply that much of what may have been gained would be lost. As an instance of what currently is happening, we see pictures going into first runs in houses that are not of first-run calibre; in fact, far below that status. The reason is that so much product is being crowded into the season, there are not enough normally first-run outlets to absorb them. So, eight and ten drive-ins at a time and a like number of outlying indoor houses are being “elevated” to first-run status, in some cases wastefully coupling two good pictures on the same program. This practice is then followed in a second wave, and, maybe, a third. And the pictures then are gone forever. Come September, October and November and the hit calibre pictures will be few and far between — and so will be the attendance by countless thousands of patrons. It’s long past time for exhibitors and distributors to do something TOGETHER to resolve this patron-losing problem. It can and must be done!