Film year book : 1922-23 (1923)

one its exhibition will be concluded in less than a week. Next in favor are the comedies of the slapstick variety. These comedies are much liked by the lower classes, who constitute the majority of the motion picture patrons. However, the more educated and refined Mexicans prefer the heavy and romantic dramas, or a comedy of the lighter type. Source of Supply About seventy per cent of the pictures shown here are of American make, and the remaining thirty per cent are distributed equally among German, French and Italian pictures. As a rule, a town of 5,000 cannot support more than one motion picture theater. Guaymas, with a population of 8,000, has had several new motion picture theaters started, but they have all failed with the exception of the Cine Majestic, which is now the only one in operation and which does a good business. Hermosillo, the State Capital, with a population of 12,000, supports three motion picture theaters. The Salon Atenas, with a seating capacity of 1,100; the Teatro Noriega, seating 1,600, and the Cine Sonora, which can seat 2,000 persons. The Cine Majestic, in Guaymas, has two hundred so-called orchestra seats and 400 seats in the gallery. The seats — both orchestra and gallery — are most uncomfortable. The Benito Juarez Theater in Emnalme, an American railroad town, seats about 400 persons. In Hermosillo the prices of admission, in Mexican money, are as follows : Salon Atenas, $.30 first class, $.20 second class. Teatro Noriega, $1.00 first class, $.50 second class. Cine Sonora, $.20 first class, $.10, second class. In Empalme the prices are $.50 first class and $.25 second class. In Guaymas, the Cine Majestic charges $.50 first class. These prices are variable, however, depending on the film shown and the addition of extra attractions, such as an additional orchestra, etc. All the pictures shown in this district are controlled by Sr. Guillermo Ascona, Apartado, 52, .\lat7a'an, Sinaloa. This firm distributes pictures through the States of Sonora, Sinaloa, Mayarit and Baja California. At the Guaymas customhouse the following duties are quoted : Blank films pay a duty of $1.50, Mex., per net kilogram. All advertising matter that is in film form pays $1.50, Mex. per net kilogram. Lithographed or printed posters for advertising purposes pay a duty of $.30 Mex., per kilogram. NORWAY George Nicholas Ifft, American Consul at Bergen, Norway, reports : Bergen, a city of slightly less than 100.000 population, has seven moving picture theaters, six of which are open seven days in the week from 5 to 11 P. M. and one only on Saturday and Sunday evenings between the same hours. They have a combined seating capacity of about 4,000 and films are run from three to four *:imes daily. The standard price of admission is Kroner 1.25 (at normal exchange, 35 cents), which price is sometimes raised to Kroner 1.50 and Kroner 2.00 (40 and 53 cents) for special pictures. The moving picture houses are all municipal and are operated directly by the municipality, through a municipal bureau, with a director at its head. Statistics of the operations of these municipal theaters for the calendar year 1921 show that the total attendance for the year was 1,815,960. This is slightly more than twenty-three per cent less than the attendance in 1920. The total receipts from the sale of tickets was Kroner 2,180,475 (at normal exchange $583.5671. This is a little more than th:rteen per cent less than the gross income of the preceding year. Fully seventy-five per cent of the films shown in Bergen arc of American origin. A year ago. American nicti-res made up ninety per cent of the total but Swedish, Danish and German films are growing in favor and a few good Norwegian films are also being produced and are enthusiastically received. PORTUGAL Survey made by the American Consul General, W. Stanley Hollis, at Lisbon. Says Mr. Mollis : American made motion picture films are becoming continually more popular in Portugal, in spite of the efiforts of local manufacturers to provide Portuguese films, and it is estimated that at the present time nearly three-quarters of the films exhibited in Portugal are of American manufacture, with the legends, or reading matter, translated into Portugese. Melodramatic serials and good comedies are especially popular, although this is believed to be due to the fact that the better grades of more recently made pictures are too expensive for exhibition in this country, and the public is therefore unable to make comparisons. The only film distributor of importance in Lisbon is the Companhia Cinematografica de Portugal, which practically enjoys a monopoly of this market. This Company secures its films through the Companhia Cinematografica HispanoPortuguesa S. A. of Madrid, Spain. The firm in Madrid is accustomed to secure the distribution rights for the entire peninsula, and in turn to sub-let these rights in Portugal to the Companhia Cinematografica de Portugal. Lisbon has three motion picture theaters capable of seating about 800 persons each, besides thirteen smaller houses with an approximate capacity of 400 each. It is estimated that there are about 120 motion picture theaters in the whole of Portugal. An ad valorem duty of 15%, plus 15%, plus 600%, is charged on motion picture films imported into Portugal, making the custom duty amount actually to 180% ad valorem. Printed matter in large quantities, photographs of various colors and lithographic posters pay a duty of $100 per kilo, which, in conformity with Decree No. 7,826, is payabble in gold, or its equivalent in paper escudos, at present being equal, in British currency, to about £0.4.6. To the above amount an additional tax of Escudos 00$30. gold, is charged in conformity with Decree No. 4133, of April 18, 1918. Photographs of one color pay a duty of Escudos 00$04. gold, per kilo, with an additional tax of Esc. 00$01. Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, has a population of nearly 500,000, and is of first importance as a market for films. Oporto is the second city, with 200,000. and in addition to these there are numerous smaller towns, all of which are developing an increasing interest in motion pictures. No film or motion picture journals are as yet published in this country. Some films showing News Events of the World, have been very well received by the public. The Portugalia Film, an organization for the manufacture of all Portuguese films, will probably, in the near future, be in a position to furnish films of News Events of this country, if a profitable market is found for them in foreign countries. ^.TTiiir a -mt a RUMANIA There is no film production in Rumania but all big international companies have either a branch or are represented through some exchange situated in Bucharest. The largest theater in that city is the "Pathe Palace." which seats 1200 on two separate projection floors. The first reel runs upstairs while the second is being shown on the other floor. The admission prices range from 15 to 30 lei. Film rentals run about 20.000 lei weekly. The city also contains 6 second and 16 third class houses. While there is no definite censorship in Rumania, it is required to submit a list of titles to the district police, and according to reports in feoreign trade papers a settlement is usually reached with the police by what is termed "friendly agreement." The import duty on films is 10 lei per kilo plus 2'r ad valorem, the export duty 22% ad valorem. The amusement fax amovnts to 25 ""r on the gross income and is very accurately checked up, in that way helping the exchangeman who rents out on percentage. The rights for Rrmania ar^ oflfercd bv German, Austrian and Hungarian firms as low as 10.000 to 15.000 lei, while for real first class films 30,000 to 40,000 lei may be obtained. 425