The motion picture industry (Nov 1935)

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TABLE III Number of Establishments, "by Six Principal States 1929 J >J CJ *s 1931 1933 State 1M Lull UC1 1M LLiU UC1 Ppt* (jPnt Number per Cent U X 1UI/ d J of Total of Total U. S. Total 142 100.0 140 100.0 92 100.0 California 58 40„9 71 50.7 39 42.4 Illinois 8 5.6 7 5.0 8 8,7 New Jersey 6 4.2 5 3.6 3 3.3 New York 30 21.1 26 18,5 24 26.0 Ohio 8 5.6 6 4.3 3 3.3 Pennsylvania 5 3.6 6 4.3 1 1*1 Total, 6 States 115 81.0 121 86.4 78 84.8 Total, Other States 27 19.0 19 13.6 14 15.2, Source: Census of Manufactures, 1929, 1931. and 1933. "Motion Pictures, not Including Projection in Theatres." Number of Members and Size of Concerns The members of the production division of the Industry fall into two groups. There are eight large companies which produce approximately 80 per cent of the total value of production as valued on a cost-of-production basis and approximately 65 per cent by number of features produced. 1/ Pive of the major companies supply nearly 100 per cent of the newsreels produced, The remaining pictures are produced by approximately 30 independent companies having sufficient importance to have the names of their production staffs listed in the Motion Picture Almanac. Most of these minor producing firms contribute their portion of the product under a "unit" system which fits into and becomes a part of the production schedules of the major producers. In addition to the above, there are many other small producers who make one or two motion pictures intermittently over a period of years. Cross and Net Income Table IV shows the gross income and the net profit or loss of motion picture producers from 1927 through 1932. In 1930 gross income increased almost 70 million dollars over the 1929 level of $343,445,000 and the producers reported a profit of more than $40,000,000 annually in each of these years. Although in 1931 gross income was almost 100 million dollars greater than in 1929, there was a net loss of $8,674,000. In 1932 gross income fell to less than one-half the 1931 level and the producers suffered a net loss of over $30,000,000. 1/ Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America