Building theatre patronage : management and merchandising (1927)

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10 Building Theatre Patronage City; the Stillman, Cleveland; and the Central Park, Chicago, to mention only a few. Palatial motion picture theatres rapidly took a prominent place on the main thoroughfares of the leading cities of America. Then, even smaller communities began to boast of modern theatres whose attractiveness and architectural perfection were a source of pride to the community. Everywhere the motion picture theatre was becoming a potent factor in the architectural development of communities. At this writing, in the big cities, a sweeping change is under way. Several thousand smaller theatres are being replaced by great neighborhood houses of the latest type with adequate parking space for cars. The progress from the store-show development has been so advanced that more than twenty per cent of our theatres may be classed as modern in every respect. Over 400 theatres of the million dollar type have been erected in the seventy odd cities with a population of over 100,000. The total investment in the motion picture industry is about two billion dollars. Of this amount, more than one-half represents the investment in motion picture theatres. Authorities in the building world estimate that some hundreds of millions will be spent in the coming year on new motion picture theatre buildings and the up-to-date equipment and renovation of existing motion picture theatres. Fifteen Years. The extent of the development of the past fifteen years is best appreciated by a series of contrasts. Today, in the great theatres, three thousand people listen enraptured to the great fifty-piece symphonic orchestra or the $75,000 organ. Fifteen years ago, a rattling piano battered out its accompaniment. Today, thousands gather on national holidays under the theatre fold where patriotic programs stimulate the national spirit and develop a better appreciation of its significance. Fifteen years ago, respectable citizens paused before the nickelodeon, glanced furtively up and down the street, and then slipped into a dingy hole in the wall for their holiday entertainment. Today, theatre staffs of over two hundred in some theatres carry on the operation with military precision. Fifteen years ago, the