The Exhibitor (1952)

EXHIBITOR 5 Near the boxoffice at the Paramount, Plainfield, N. J., a special card plugs "Curtain at 8:40", American counterpart of "Curtain at 8:30". One of the noteworthy sidelights of the operation of "Curtain at 8:40" at the Paramount, Plainfield, is the free coffee, which has now become part of the operational program at any Walter Reade theatre where the policy has been adopted. Four Reade houses have been using the new development. price were higher, the public, instead of getting the usual roll ticket, should be entitled to a hard ticket, and these tickets could be sold a week in advance so that people would reserve the time, and make their plans accordingly. The next problem was that if a person bought one or more tickets a week or several days in advance, then came and had to take a poor seat, he or she would be badly put out. There¬ fore, the people who bought tickets in advance would either have to come early or all the seats could not be sold out. The next, and obvious, conclusion was that seats should be reserved. This is a more costly and troublesome way of handling the situation, but results have proved that it puts a mark of distinction on “Curtain At 8: 30” which is would not otherwise have. The results of the experiment are quite interesting. Reports indicate that 30 per cent of the people attending “Curtain at 8:30” never went to the movies before. Another 40 per cent were what one might call occasional goers, who might go anywhere from two to four times a year. The bal¬ ance were regular patrons who probably like movies of all descriptions. In this connection, it is interesting to note that the Secretary of the Choral Society in Orillia, Ontario, reported on opening night that the Society was so excited about the idea it was going to change the rehearsal night, which has been Thursday night for years, to some other night so it could attend “Curtain At 8:30”. There has been more talk about the Geneva than it has been possible to stim¬ ulate in the last 10 years. The Thursday night gross is at least 25 per cent higher at this time over the last year, and constantly growing. In addi¬ tion, the gross for Friday and Saturday in the Geneva is within 10 per cent of last year’s average gross for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. In other words, dollars are coming into the boxoffice which would not otherwise be obtained. Furthermore, the local manager has reached a new high in his stature and standing in the community. The American counterpart, “Curtain At 8:40”, was put into operation by Walter Reade Theatres, and was so successful that a second series was set for the Carl¬ ton, Red Bank, N. J., and the Paramount, Plainfield, N. J. While the results of the first series of five films at the houses were not sufficient to insure continuation of the program on a permanent basis, grow¬ ing interest indicated a further test was justified. The series consisted of single showings on Wednesday evenings of films which normally would not be seen outside of New York City’s intimate houses. Seats were reserved, coffee was served free in the lounge, and the program was ended by 10:30 p. m. “We have felt,” Walter Reade said, “that there is, in every town, an audi¬ ence for the ‘unusual’ picture; people for whom the visual movie fare of musicals, thrillers, and westerns, however excellent, is not enough. “We also believe that many people, if given the opportunity, would like to make an event of going to the theatre in the same way that they enjoy attending a stage performance. When it is possible to book seats ahead of time for a certain picture on a certain date, people outside New York City are enabled to enjoy the theatre parties usually regarded as a feature of the New York City life.” The Reade organization has since been so satisfied with the experiment in Plainfield and Red Bank that it intends to resume in the fall with a reserved seat policy. The second series, which ended on April 15 after five successive weeks in those two New Jersey spots, dropped reserved seats, but it was found later that patrons wanted them. Reports indicate that grosses varied ac¬ cording to the picture, but the circuit stated that overall receipts were consid¬ ered good. In addition, the circuit started the “Curtain At 8:40” in two more spots, the Kingston, Kingston, N. Y., and the Com¬ munity, Saratoga Springs, N. Y., both for four-week trials. These were on a non-reserved basis, with the results to determine whether there will be reserved seats in a fall resumption. The same idea was also started in the Boston area, where James J. Dempsey, ATC district manager, inaugurated an art film policy on Wednesdays at the Surf, Swampscott, Mass. Shows started at 8:30 p. m., with some 400 seats reserved and general admission upped from 60 to 74 cents. And so what started as a Canadian ex¬ periment seems to be catching on because showmen throughout the country are alive to its possibilities. (Canadian photographs hy Mayfair magazine, courtesy of Keith Scott; Ken Bell photography. — Ed.) Buying reserved tickets at the Geneva, Orillia, Ontario, Canada, becomes a pleasure under "Curtain at 8:3d", a "different" kind of exhibition. Moviegoing at the Geneva, where "Curtain at 8:30" was first pioneered as a special experiment, be¬ comes a reason for fur coats and a "different" kind of audience, as may be seen in this photograph. The "Curtain at 8:30" idea has been so successful it is now used in 29 Canadian theatres. May 14, 1952