Canadian Film Weekly Year Book of the Canadian Motion Picture Industry (1955)

FACTS ABOUT EXHIBITION FRENCH-LANGUAGE HOUSES: Quebec theatres showing only French films in 1954 numbered 160, 38 more than in 1953 and 126 more than in 1949. Those playing motion pictures in both English and French increased from 123 in 1953 to 170 in 1954. Theatres screening English-language films exclusively decreased from 194 in 1953 to 88 in 1954. Several importing companies offer exhibitors films produced in France and other exchanges provide dubbed versions of Hollywood films. Of the 21 feature films produced in Canada since 1945, 14 were in French and these obtained almost 100 per cent of their Canadian grosses from exhibition in the Province of Quebec. ATTENDANCE: An Unesco survey published three years ago says that the average Canadian attends movies 17 times per year, placing him seventh among the countries. While the average attendance did not change over the previous year, Canada’s position dropped from fifth to seventh. Israel leads all countries with 38, second is Costa Rica with 30, third is Great Britain with 29, fourth is Australia with 25, fifth is the USA with 22 and New Zealand is sixth with 18. Israel and Costa Rica, which were behind Canada in average theatregoing, jumped to first and second place and the USA, which was first with 32 the previous year, slumped badly, reflecting the boxoffice crisis at that time. Since then attendance in the USA has regained most of its vitality. MOVIE HABITS (CANADA): In a survey conducted by the Canadian Institute of Public Opinion (Gallup Poll) in July, 1955, it was found that 14 per cent of the Canadian public do not attend movies, showing very little variation from the 17 per cent of nonmoviegoers in a survey in April, 1948. Of this year’s 14 per cent who don’t go to the movies only five per cent came from 20-year-olds, this figure rising sharply to 27 per cent for those past 50 years of age. In selecting a movie to 27 see, the poll showed, 44 per cent made their choice by what was in the film, 20 per cent by who was in it, and 22 per cent by both equally. Musicals were the favorites of 35 per cent and then came Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Western, Crime and Other Types. Women were more interested in Musicals and Romance than were men, the latter liking Adventure and Western films to a greater degree. COMMUNITY SHOWS: In 1953, 150 35 mm. and 519 16 mm. theatres were operated as non-profit enterprises in churches and halls by religious, service and fraternal organizations, as well as Boards of Trade. The majority of the community enterprises are situated in Quebec and Saskatchewan. Most of the halls used 16 mm. projection equipment but the 150 halls where 35 mm. equipment was used accounted for 55.2 per cent of the receipts and 52.3 per cent of the total admissions. Only Manitoba had more halls using 35 mm. equipment than 16 mm. and Prince Edward Island had one of each. New Brunswick had four using 16 mm. and none using 35 mm. PER CAPITA EXPENDITURE: The per capita expenditure for theatregoing in Canada in 1953 was $8.30, which compares with $8.21 in 1952, $7.72 in 1951, $7.12 in 1950, $6.89 in 1949, $6.50 in 1948, $5.77 in 1945 and $5.01 in 1942. British Columbia led the provinces with a per capita expenditure of $10.56, then came Alberta with $9.73, Ontario with $9.67, Manitoba with $7.74, Nova Scotia with $7.35, Saskatchewan with $7.07, Quebec with $7.00, New Brunswick with $6.02, Prince Edward Island with $4.06, and Newfoundland with $4.03. CAPACITY UTILIZED: There was no change in 1953 from the 29 per cent total of 1952 in the number of admissions sold as against the maximum possible. The “capacity utilized” potential is obtained by multiplying the num