Harrison's Reports (1958)

Entered as second-class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 8, 18T9. Harrison's Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE Published Weekly by _ ,1C n„ Harrison's Reports, Inc., United States 915.00 New York 20, N. Y. Publisher U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 Canada 16.50 A Motion Picture Reviewing Service AL PICOULT Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Managing Editor Great Britain 17.50 Australia, New Zealand, Established July 1, 1919 India, Europe, Asia 17.50 its Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial 35c a Copy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. Circle 7-4622 A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XL SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1958 No. 30 NEW ENGLAND DRIVE-INS UNHAPPY WITH "COMMANDMENTS" Through trade paper advertisements and publicity re' leases, Paramount has been making a big splash about the sensational business supposedly done by "The Ten Com' mandments" in current selected drive-in engagements. In the Massachusetts area, however the recent experiences of five drive-in theatres with the picture seem to indicate that the results were much less than satisfying. The drive-in theatres involved are Route 138, Canton; Route 114, Middleton; Plaistow, Haverhill; Meadowbrook, Middleboro; and the Twin Drive-In, Medford. In accordance with Paramount's recently announced policy for drivein engagements, the picture was booked by these five out' door theatres for a two'week run — the first in the state — under reported terms that called for royalty payments to Paramount of 68£ for adults and 30< for children for the first week, and 57^ and 25tf for the second week. Under the circumstances, the theatres were required to charge admission prices of $1.25 for adults and 50? for children. On Tuesday, July 1?, at the end of the first week, the five drive-ins, reportedly because of poor grosses, decided to simultaneously withdraw the picture and placed advertisements in the newspapers for new shows on Wednesday, but when Paramount notified them of their contractual obliga' tion to play the picture for two weeks, the affected theatres decided to continue the engagements for a second week and hurriedly changed their advertising copy to so notify the public. Apparently disturbed by the adverse trade publicity garnered by this happening, Edward G. Chumley, Paramount's sales manager for "The Ten Commandments," issued a statement to the effect that the picture had done outstanding business in the five theatres and, to prove it, he invited the editors of Motion Picture Daily and Film Daily to check the grosses done by the picture in the first five days of the first week and to compare these grosses with the much lower grosses of other Paramount attractions that have played in the same theatres. No other trade paper editors were invited to this meeting, thus denying to them the privilege of seeing the figures for themselves and asking pertinent questions. The information given to these selected trade paper editors by Chumley has been challenged sharply by Edward W. Lider, president of the Independent Exhibitors of New England, who had this to say in an organizational bulletin issued on Monday of this week under the heading, "It Is a Flop, Mr. Chumley": "As President of Independent Exhibitors of New England and an officer and board member of National Allied, I feel a profound sense of responsibility to exhibitors everywhere in reporting to you the results of and some observations on the Paramount-DeMille selling policy (in drive-in theatres) of 'The Ten Commandments,' especially here in New England in five drive-ins whose engagements started July 9 for 2 weeks. I shall refer from time to time to certain allegations and statements quoted in the Film Daily as utterances of Mr. Chumley, DeMille's representative. "One of the drive-ins playing 'Ten Commandments' here is the Medford Twin Drive-In, the only twin screen theatre in the Boston area, with a total capacity of 1800 cars (1958 Motion Picture Almanac) contrary to Mr. Chumley's alleged '1000' cars. This modern theatre, the largest in Boston, erected a couple of years ago, is in direct competition with other drive-in theatres in and around Boston. Chumley stated that the Twin would gross $8110 (more or less a few hundred) on the first wee\ of 'Ten Commandments' and compares this gross with some puny grosses on puny Paramount pictures which played in October and November or April, May, the off-season here in New England, while 'Ten Commandments' is playing in the dead of July — height of our season. Not only that, but these puny Paramount grosses were on a 4'day or 3 'day play (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday through Saturday) at regular prices (80<) and children free, while 'Ten Commandments' includes a Saturday and a Sunday at $1.25 and 50*. "But worse than that, Chumley apparently didn't know that practically all of the puny Paramount grosses prior to 'Ten Commandments' as quoted by him are pictures that played only on one screen of the Twin and had played other drive-ins in Boston on availability many weeks prior to the Twin, and these were for the most part repeat runs after all the others — which explains why some were flat buys. But all played very late and past availability. His comparisons of 'Ten Commandments' with these poor examples are hardly impressive. "Now is $8110 on 'Ten Commandments' a good gross for 7 days for the Twin or any Boston drive-in? We feel it is not. It is very common for Boston drive-ins to gross $8110 in four days and in excess of $12,000 for a week. Several theatres in the Boston area smaller than the Twin gross these figures on many occasions at regular prices, children free, with resultant higher concession business. "I would also like to point out that the overhead of the Twin screen operation is high, and when you have to operate until 1:30 A.M. with 'Ten Commandments,' there is overtime and an increased payroll, so that 60% film rental leaves little profit at $8110. But the Twin 'Ten Commandments' sure helped the competitors, for there was resistance to the price for adults and children, obviously, as evidenced by the lack of them in the theatre. (Reportedly the largest car count showed about 650 cars in the 1800'car drivcin on Saturday, July 12.) "I should also point out that where the other Paramount pictures played this theatre either after the other drive-ins or with them, here 'Ten Commandments' was all alone and lonely in the Twin as far as Boston is concerned — a first exclusive Boston drive-in engagement. "But why talk only grosses. This 'Ten Commandments' is an expensive picture — 60%; what is left after film rental? "As I said above, $3240 net is below average for an 1800car theatre here in Boston. "Now, Mr. Chumley, what did the theatre gross the 2nd week? Please answer — because 50% is DeMille's, and the rest is Twin's — and this latter 50% must surely result in a real loss to the Twin, unquestionably wiping out the profit of the 1st week and ending in a net loss for the two weeks. So the 2nd week on DeMille's charityraising epic adds up to a big fat nothing for the theatre and DeMille's charity gets in excess of $5000. "Now, let's forget the big Twin grosses. Let's turn to the smaller ones — Plaistow Drive-In, Middleboro Drive-In — the usual 700-car drive-ins in smaller towns. You report $1363 (Continued on inside page)