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SSo HARVARD BUSINESS REPORTS
Whenever possible, actual grosses from Broadway runs were shown as an indication of subsequent run earning power. When these figures were not available, advance information on the type of picture, the story, and the star were published. Local external conditions such as theater competition, unemployment, seasonal attendance, and other factors which affected the share of local amusement purchasing power which the Wellington Theater could draw upon were also considered.
A strong competitive position was enjoyed by the Wellington Theater, since it was the only neighborhood house in its immediate vicinity. Its strongest competitors were the Alta and the Burton Theaters, both of which belonged to a chain owned and operated by Superior Pictures, Incorporated, a producer-distributor. The Alta Theater was about a mile distant toward the center of Cleveland. The Burton Theater was a lower-grade house on the outskirts of Whitefield. One of the Alta Theater's advantages over the Wellington Theater lay in its right to first-run exhibition in Whitefield. However, the importance of this factor was minimized considerably by the fact that the Alta Theater ran vaudeville on its program and consequently did not require a sufficient number of features to monopolize the first-run exhibition of high-grade pictures in Whitefield. The chief disadvantage to the Wellington Theater arose when purchasing Superior Pictures, the product of the Alta Theater's owners. In such a situation the Wellington Theater could purchase Superior Pictures for third run or, if the Alta Theater could not utilize the entire list of pictures, a split of the product between the two theaters on a first-run basis was sometimes effected. No second run of Superior Pictures could be obtained, since all pictures shown as first run at the Alta Theater went to the Burton Theater for their second run. The Wellington Theater, therefore, had the alternative of taking Superior Pictures for third run or effecting a split of the product on a first-run basis. When such splits were made, the Wellington Theater could secure the pictures exhibited by the Alta Theater on a third-run basis if it so desired.
The internal records of the Wellington Theater were the other important source of information. These comprised a list of pictures previously purchased, together with the rentals paid and the grosses realized from the programs in which they were exhibited. The manager was convinced that these records should be used as a