Motion Picture Herald (1954)

Two specimens of promotion which the Poblocki management put into effect on acquiring the Plaza. Pictured are a Burlington hotel, restaurant and a resort club where it put up illuminated display cases. to cut into the ceiling to make room for the curtain, we had to install a duct between the roof and the ceiling, which leads to Anemostat outlets in the auditorium ceiling. And automatic controls were put in for both cooling and heating. The Plaza formerly had a screen 15x12^4 feet. We installed an Astroiite screen 34 feet wide and 14^2 feet high — as big as the stage and auditorium dimensions would take. Amplifiers and speakers and magnetic soundheads were installed for reproduction of CinemaScope four-track sound, with effects speakers placed in the ceiling. PROMOTING THE REGION At first I was only going to invest in equipment for wide-screen, with stereophonic sound. But the reaction of patrons was so good to this improvement that I decided to remodel the lobby. When I got that done, people were so appreciative that 1 was encouraged to make the other improvements to this rundown theatre. Public reaction has been enthusiastic. Besides being a summer resort center, Burlington is a trading point for a prosperous farming area. It is only 30 miles from Milwaukee. There are several small factories. To make these people regular patrons of the Plaza, including the summer resorters, we do a thorough job of promotion. We have a mailing list of 3,000, have backed one bowling team at Twin Lakes, and two others in Burlington, including a women’s team. We advertise coming attractions at the theatre and around the area two or three weeks in advance. We have installed illuminated poster cases at a large hotel, restaurant and bar and a club on Brown’s Lake. In Burlington we have poster cases in the lobby of the Burlington Hotel (which has the Plush Horse Bar well known among tourists for food and atmosphere). We similarly post the Badger Hotel in Burlington. Our investment in poster cases alone is about $4,000. For newspaper advertising we use the two Burlington weeklies and an advertising bulletin which is distributed free through an area within 10 miles of Burlington. We also advertise in the weekly of a nearby town of 1,200. All these efforts to give the community first-class operation within the obvious limits of the income that such a town can produce, and to promote the theatre and its attractions, should result in a worthwhile profit. Through most of the history of the business less effort than that paid out, often handsomely. Many theatre people have made a lot of money. Too often, however, they invested it in other ways and did not keep their theatres up-to-date. We still feel that our remodeling and re-equipping was necessary, and that further improvements should be made to maintain public interest in our theatre as a place of recreation. The problem is to gear the economics of the industry as a whole to the job of providing popular recreation at a reasonable profit. THE COST PICTURE Included with this discussion is a statement of Plaza expenses. It gives weekly overhead as $773 a week. This of course fluctuates — higher in winter, a little lower in summer — but it will average that. One might say that the amount for general administration expense ($1,452.14) is too high. I can say this — until I can get the Plaza on its feet, I’ll be working for practically nothing. One might find fault with other costs. Maybe I pay the janitor too much. I don’t think so. I hire a lot of people in my businesses and I know that they have to be well paid in accordance with their ability. One of the things that is wrong with the theatre business, in my opinion, is that it has cut service far below standard. We have found distributors willing enough to grant the reasonableness of a theatre operating profit of 10%. But on the one hand, film product is supposed to return a profit all down the line; and on the other, the majority of theatres, to maintain a motion picture public, must be attractive and comfortable, up-to-date, well kept up, and equipped to do justice technically to the product available. It is an urgent allindustry problem, with roots in every branch of the business. PLAZA THEATRE EXPENSES . FIRST SIX MONTHS, J954 Box Office Income Expenses : Feature Rentals Other Rentals Salaries Rent Booking Service Heat, Light & Power . Cartage Advertising Postage Theatre Supplies Payroll Taxes Depreciation Insurance i . Miscellaneous Telephone & Telegraph Repairs Dues Gen’l Administration Total Expenses Less Overhead Allocated to Vending Net Expenses Gross Loss on Box Office Add: Screen Advertising 3-D Glasses Net Loss on Box-Office House Expense == 26 weeks $11,306.26 824.65 6,145.83 4,356.41 524.73 692.93 382.26 1,866.99 62.70 496.84 136.60 3,517.63 259.35 192.61 185.04 183.58 40.00 1,452.14 $32,626.55 865.18 $19,630.46 = $755.00 per week 18.00 shorts $29,042.79 $31,761.37 $ 2,718.58 478.00 135.90 $ 2,104.68 $773.00 Total weekly overhead 16 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 30, 1954