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MONEY HKHINI) TH K S( KFKN 21
18. An ontiix'ly new (Icpaiturc in the renting-produrinj;; sphore wjus lauiichod in XovciuImt, IH.'JO in tlio " Ifi(ici)<ii(i<'nt Exhibitors' Distrihutin^ (o," This is an organisation <ji" whiic .'i(M) in(l«'|)en(l(Mit cinema proprietors who plan to conduct a renting and producing organisation of their own in order to improve tlioir comix^titive position as comjwired with that of tlio circuits for tho hooking of British films. Hach member undertakes to book a certain number of the fihns thus produced, whicli are financed on the basis of this assured market. Tlie organi.sation is thus similar in conception to the original First National Distributors company of America and it will be interesting to trace the etfects of this venture, if successful, on the future structure both of the renting and exhibition spheres of the British film trade.
C. — Exhibition.
19. Changes in the exhibition sphere are as rapid as those in the other branches of the industry at the present time. There is no official census of cinemas, the number of licenses issued annually by the Board of Trade (4,8")") in li)3o) including a number of duplications owing to changes in ownership and other causes. The Board of Trade, however, estimate that the number of cinemas showing regular progi-ammes in the U.K. is 4,400 (summer 193b), as compared with about 3,000 in 1920. (Moyne Committee Evidence.) S. Rowson estimated the number at the end of 1934 at 4,305 and according to the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association the net increase during 1935 was 92, which brings the figure approximately up to the Board of Trade estimate. Of this increase 27 were stated to be circuit halls, the remainder being independent units (though no definition of " cu'cuit " was given). S. Rowson estimated the total seating capacity at the end of 1934 at S, SI 2,000 ; we shall assume that the new halls brought the seating capacity bv the end of 1935 to be about 3,950,000.
20. The Kinematograph Yearbook for 1936 contains a list of 159 circuits of two or more halls each, but it is probable that this list is incomplete as far as the smallest groups are concerned. These circuits controlled 1,887 halls, or 43 per cent, of the tot-al (the figures must be regarded as referring to the end of 1935) The following table shows the relative strength of these groups ^
Size or Circuit. No. of Circuits Total No. of Cinemas
1 10 halls 128 615
10 19 „ 22 288
20 49 „ 4 130
50 99 „ 1 53
100-199 „ 2 242
More than 200 halls 2 559