Film year book : 1922-23 (1923)

to 5/6d. Seconrl class Cinemas charge — 6d. to ^/ — or 3/—. At the Royal Opera House and The Empire Theater where "The Three Musketters" and "Way Down East" were shown respectively. l-V— were charged for the most expensive seats, which is the regular West-End theater price. European Picture Theaters .\ French trade organ records that France has about 2000 picture theaters for its population of over 38 millions; Norway, with about 3.600,000 inhabitants, has 170; Denmark, with 2,900,000 inhabitants, has 250; Sweden, with 5,800,000 inhabitants, has over 200; Holland, with roughly 6,000.000 people, has but 180 movies, while Belgium possesses 800 for a population of about 8 millions. Canadian Film Sales Import Tax Ruling An important ruling defining the basis of assessment of the sales tax on film importations made by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise at Ottawa, as follows : "Under the provision of the amendment to the Special War Revenue Act, sales tax on importations must be computed upon the duty-paid value, which is defined as being the value of the article as it would be determined for the purpose of calculating an ad valorem duty upon the importation of same into Canada under the laws relating to the Customs and the Customs Tariff, whether such article be in fact subject to ad valorem or other duty or not, and, in addition, to the amount of the Customs duties, if any, payable thereon. "The value for duty on films sold outright to the Canadian importer is based on the home consumption value at time of shipment, but, in no case, less than the invoice value, except on account of reduction in the fair market value of such goods at the time of their purchase by the Canadian purchaser and their exportation into Canada. The value for duty of standard films shipped on consignment into Canada without sale is fixed by the department at not less than an appraisal value of 8c per lineal foot." French Export and Import Figures The following are the export and import figures for the period from January to July (inclusive) : Export: 53,872,000 meters of film, value frs. 213,300,000 (as against 43,498,000 meters, value frs. 172,250,000, for the same period in 1921). Import : Printed film (American, German and all other foreign films), January to July, 3,370,000 meters, value frs. 6,168.000 (as against 4,102,000 meters, value frs. 9,096.000, in 1921). Raw stock film, January to July, 6,706,000 meters, value frs. 4,328,000 (as against 10,386,000 meters, value frs. 9,504,000 in 1921). On this scale the year's total figures would show, approximately: Export 92,352,000 meters, value frs. 365,657,143. Import of foreign films, 5,784,000 meters, value frs. 10,573,000. Import of raw stock: 11,496,000 meters, value frs. 10,573,715. The exact official figures will not be available until the end of January, 1923, when it will probably be found that import, both of foreign films and of raw stock, has considerably decreased, while export of films has undoubtedly increased. Probably the figures will be roughly as follows : Export, about 96,000,000 meters, value frs. 423,000,000. Import of foreign films (amongst them many German ones), about 4.200,000 meters, value approximately frs. 8,500,000. Import of raw stock, about 9,000,000 meters, value approximately frs. 7,600,000. Teaching Production in Munich The N. Y. Globe reported in March : "In Munich a film university has been founded that gives instruction in four half-year terms in (1) the technical phases, (2) acting, scenery, and management, (3) business and legal branches, and (4) science and literature, by a teaching staflf, including the most prominent producers, professors of the Munich University College, actors, photographers and other technical experts. "Capital invested in the film industry has tremendously increased in the last two years. At the end of 1920 it was 98,000,000 marks; at the end of 1921, 291,000,000 marks, and at the close of January of this year, 319,000,000 marks, or an increase of more than 300 per cent in a little more than a year. IMPORTANT FOREIGN LISTS (Continued from Page 420) Austria Theaters In Vienna there are 181 theaters, 88 of which contain 300 seats; lb, 600 seats, 11, 1,000 seats, and 4 over 1,000 seats. In Lower Australia of the 184 theaters, 86 have 300 seats, 43 have 600 seats and 2 have 1,000 seats, according to "Film Express." In upper Austria of the 65 theaters. 38 have 300 seats, 14 have approximately 600 seats and 2 have 1,000 seats. Czecho-Slovakia Theaters Bohemia has 211 theaters. 34 have 300 seats, 83 have 600 seats, and 21 have 1,000 seats. Moravia has 118 theaters, 28 of which contain 300 seats, 26, 600 seats, and 2, 1,000 seats. In Silesia there are 37 theaters; of this number 10 have 300 seats, 11 have 600 seats and 1 has 1,000 seats. In Slovakia there are 121 theaters, 70 of which contain 300 seats, Zl of which contain 600 seats, 3 contain 1,000 seats and 1 has over 1,000. Jugoslavia has 231 theaters, 22 containing 300 seats, 29, 600 seats; 5, 1,000 seats, and 1, 1,000 seats. Galicia has 88 theaters. There are 5 which contain 300 seats, 14 which contain 600 seats, and 2 which contain 1,000. HOOVER'S REPORT Early in the year Secretary of Commerce Hoover made a report to the United State Senate covering the scope of the film industry in its relation to foreign commerce. Excerpts of his report appear below. "Our imports of exposed film for 1921 will apparently be about half as large as in 1914. During the war imnorts fell from 20,057,000 ft. in 1914, to the low mark of 2,267,975 ft. in 1918. Recovery since 1918 has been rapid, imports increasing in 1920 to 6,233,000 ft., and for 1921 will probably be approximately 10,000.000 ft. The total value of this exposed film is likely to be about the same as in 1914, the price of film, like prices of other commodities, having changed. "During the war, the development and expansion of the American motion picture industry proceeded with great rapidity. Imports of exposed film declined, and the effect of foreign competition in the domestic field became less important. Exports of exposed film increased from 32,192,000 ft. in 1913 to over 150,000,000 ft. in 1919. "In 1920 our exports of exposed film were 175,233,000 ft., which is more than five times the highest pre-war figure. For 1921 the total export will probably be somewhat less than in 1920. "There are no official figures on the domestic production of motion pictures with which import figures can be compared. But as compared with our domestic exports of exposed film imports are of relatively small importance. Even for the current year, in which imports have increased and exports decreased, the import will probably be only 10.000.000 ft., while exports will be at least 140.000.000 ft. Since many of tlie pictures sent to this country by foreign producers are not saleable, and are never shown before American audiences, the figures for the imnort of exposed film are slightly of less significance than they first appear. Further, m gauging the importance of imports, the ra/pid development and expansion of the domestic indi'Strv must be taken into account. An import of 1,000 000 ft. of film into the United States today means much less to the industry than the importation of a similar amount means in 1914. The domestic market has so developed that 20.000 000 ft. (the import of 1914), would be more easily absorbed today than a much smaller amount in 1914. E.xcept for four German and one Italian film, pictures of foreign make, imported since the . war, have not been especially successful."' 427