Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1959)

I The Vieu; by ROLAND PENDARIS Suppose there were no movies. Suppose that the motion picture theatre ceased to exist and no new pictures for theatre showing were made. We suggest that all those phophets of doom who foretell the end of the motion picture industry try to imagine the consequences of any such death of a great American husiness. Tax revenues would go down with a hang. Amusement taxes would be only a small fraction of the lost public money. The evaluations of theatre buildings and store edifices nearby would plummet, and realty taxes would plummet with them. The result would undoubtedly be a rise in the general realty tax rates in the affected communities. Transportation systems would lose tens of thousands of fares per night. Retail trade in both downtown and neighborhood situations would suffer from a reduction in customer traffic. That's only part of the picture-less picture. The candy and refreshment industries would be down from ten to 20 per cent across the nation. The unemployment figures would rise by more than a quarter of a million, for at least this many motion picture workers would be out when the theatres closed. At a bare minimum, over 90 million extra hours of leisure time per week would have to be filled for the American people — and this figure would rise steadily as the total working hours per week continue to shrink. 0 From outside the industry it seems preposterous to hear the pessimists say that the motion picture business is "through." It seems equally preposterous, sometimes, to hear the pollyannas say that the movies are merely "going through a passing phase" these days. Every business undergoes rather cosmic changes at various stages of its history. Sears, Roebuck began exclusively as a mail order house, but today the bulk of its business is done through stores. The major broadcasters made their early fortunes in radio, then used their know-how to build an allied industry in television. And the motion picture producers and distributors have not been averse to dealing with television. 0 I can recall, in my days in the motion picture business, the exhibitors who refused to be bothered with stocking candy at a refreshment counter, saying they weren't in the confectionery business. By now, they have either changed their minds, or they aren't in the movie theatre business either. This doesn't mean that the motion picture business is a poor relation these days, to be bailed out by candy sales or television revenues. In these parlous times, the rewards of success in the motion picture industry are greater than ever. Top stars earn more money than at any previous period of history. Top pictures run longer, and gross more than ever before. 0 There is a great tendency among movie people to get sentimental about statistics. The total number of theatres in the United States, for example, is watched by film row as though By Way of Introduction "Roland Pendaris", who will present THE VIEW FROM OUTSIDE as a regular feature of Film BULLETIN, is a veteran of the film industry who has moved his base of operations to another field. However, he maintains close association with motion picture affairs through his many personal contacts with industryites and via the press. We feel that his wide range of information about this business and his new perspective enable Mr. Pendaris to contribute many constructive views about our industry. — The Editor it were a sick man's temperature. The health of the business is expressed in terms of whether the number of theatres is being maintained; a decline in the number is regarded as a sign of illness. But if that were the case the grocery business would be going from bad to worse every time a new super market replaces three or four old corner groceries. The fact is that just as the new super market moves more goods than the old stores combined, one modern theatre may be more than a match for several dilapidated old units. The big question is not how many theatres there are but how good they are — how well they are run. This is particularly important in the movie business because this business is rather unique. Unlike the grocery business, where your purchasing level is fairly constant, the movie business is to a great extent an impulse business. Every good picture you see helps strengthen your impulse to go back again. If you are pleased by the shows at Theatre A, this doesn't mean that Theatre B is hurt; before long, you may be going more often to both theatres because you like what you see. 0 A great deal of the competition in the movie business today is not between theatres but between mediums. The theatre is competing with other leisure time media. The old fashioned drug store faced that competition years ago from the chain stores which stocked luggage and hardware as well as drugs. So the old fashioned store had its face lifted, made room for hard goods alongside the pharmaceuticals, and hit a new wave of prosperity. Right now the super markets are engaged in the same kind of expansion of the variety of merchandise they handle. They now sell kiddy rides as well as notions and toys. It's the old story. If you can't lick 'em, join 'em. We've seen plenty of examples in the motion picture industry, as, for instance, the children's amusement parks connected with many drive-in theatres, the aforenoted refreshment counters and the like. O There is no question but that the theatre must always adapt itself to changing times. Indeed, change has always been the lifeblood of the motion picture business. During the great depression one of the things that saved the industry was the advent of talking pictures. In the doldrums of the thirties color came along to add that much-saluted extra 25 percent to the gross of a film. In the years immediately prior to World War II, and during the War as well, air conditioning became a great summertime bulwark of the boxoffice. In the postWar era, the drive-ins picked up the slack. Chronologically and economically, we are ripe for a new technological idea to follow these earlier innovations. That leaves only one question — what'll it be? Page 6 Film BULLETIN January 5, I9E?