International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1930)

STATISTICS. — 227 THE FIGURES O F THE CINEMA. The number of cinematograph theatres is closely connected with two problems, one of which is of a purely financial character, while the other is political. The former problem lies in the possibility of spreading sound or speaking films which have been adapted for a given language; the former is a question of the economic utility of the creation of such films to the screen industry. It is obvious that where there is no probability of realising at least a reasonable profit from a film, the latter offers no attraction to capitalists, who naturally seek other forms of investment. Altruism is not a noticeable quality of the financial world, and still less of the screen industry. The problem of the sound films is therefore a strictly economic problem. In another part of this Review (see The Political Film) we deal with its various aspects in the different nations and with its national efficiency. What interests us here are the figures of the cinema. According to the most recent statistics, as published in the Times (D. 19/386) and the Cine'matographie Franfaise (D. 19/385) and verified by the Department of Commerce at Washington, there are 57,341 cinematograph theatres in the world, divided among the nations as follows: English-speaking countries 29,960, of which 20,500 are in the United States. German speaking countries 6,293 French » » 5,184 Spanish » » 3,074 Italian » » 2,000 Russian » » 1,328 Japanese » » 1,120 Various » » 8,382 The number of sound films, the majority of which come from English-speaking countries, is in direct relation with the number of cinema theatres. It is affirmed that, by the end of January, the number of theatres which are fitted up to run the sound film will be more than ten thousand. (La cine'matographie Franfaise, Paris B. 19/384). It is estimated that in America alone there are 114 new plants set up each week that is to say, about one every 87 minutes. (The Film Daily, New York D. 19/393). In Canada and in the Province of Ontario, according to the Toronto Film Board of Trade (D. 19/400) there are more than 390 cinemas which have sound equipment. In England, the officials of the British Film Institute (D. 19/389) have registered 433 films since the passing of the Film Allowancing Act, 163 of which were sound films. The Daily Telegraph (D. 19/398) states that cinema owners in the various parts of the world have paid to the Western Electric Co. alone, in the space of little more than a year, the large sum of 14 million pounds for sound film equipments. The number of American cinemas is of particular importance on account of the crowds that attend them. The 20,500 cinema theatres existing in the United States have an aggregate of 18,500,000 seats, and they give more than ten and a half million shows per week to more than a hundred and twenty million spectators, who pay a total of eight hundred million dollars for entrance tickets, according to he Conrrier Cine'matographique of November 16, 1929. The cinema industry has consequently made great strides. In 1929, the number of buildings erected beat the record. New theatres have been opened to the value of 161 ,930,000 dollars, and the twelve largest cinemas of Broadway alone have been valued at the typically American figure of 53 million dollars. With regard to the teaching film and the educational film for the young, the Government of the U. S. S. R. has decided to organize, during the so-called cultural five years,