Motion Picture News (Jan - Mar 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 23 NEW ENGLAND AN UNDEVELOPED FIELD Study of Conditions There Shows that Motion Pictures Are Not Properly Appreciated — Feature Films Find Business Unsatisfactory — Discussion of Peculiar Conditions SI X states make up New England — Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut. The inhabitants of these states do not lush to embrace new things with the avidity that persons in any other sections of the country do. This may possibly account for the present deplorable status of the motion picture business in New England. To the person, unfamiliar with the actual conditions, New England would seem a specially fertile field for motion pictures. It contains a large proportion of cities of medium-size and several large cities. Its smaller cities and towns are well established and prosperous, but investigation reveals the undeniable fact that New England in proportion to its population is one of the most undeveloped fields in the country for motion pictures. Boston Has Few Theatres Hence there is a need for missionary work. Taking Boston as the source of information, because it is the chief city in New England, and in Boston are located most of the distributing firms, it was a distressing revelation to the writer to talk on motion picture conditions with several prominent persons in the business there. Boston, a city which now has a population estimated at 750,000 by the sanguine, has a grand total of only about fifty-five theatres. This includes the legitimate houses, the burlesque houses, the big and small time vaudeville houses and the picture theatres proper. This means one theatre to about 12,500 persons. This is in striking contrast to New York with its four million inhabitants, where last July more than a thousand Rouses were under license as motion picture theatres. This number is exclusive of the legitimate and burlesque theatres, and the several vaudeville theatres which also show pictures. In Boston, it is doubtful if there are more than ten or twelve theatres devoted to motion pictures alone. The majority of the theatres displaying pictures show them as an adjunct to small time vaudeville. Hence it naturally follows that the pictures do not get their proper due in the manner of presentation, projection or appreciation. In fact they are regarded as they are bound to be in such a circumstance, as a side issue. Several things go to make up this deplorable situation, first of which is the character of the audiences. In Boston it is a common thing for opera singers, who have never appeared in concerts before, to do so. This is because many persons cherish a prejudice against all things theatrical and will not go to the opera but will go to a concert. This has no direct bearing on the situation. It is an instance of the slowness with which New England minds change their course. Cheap Features Hurt Business Another factor is the character of the picture shows. A scanning of the posters displayed outside Boston theatres Christmas week found many features played up, but only a few of the more meritorious features. It seemed that the exhibitor had tried to get his features at the smallest possible cost. Good features cannot be obtained that way. The result of the whole thing is that the audiences see poor features. The third factor is the fact that the pictures are commonly shown in conjunction with small-time vaudeville. The idea of showing a program composed simply of motion pictures at prices ranging higher than ten cents would appall a Boston exhibitor. Bostonians are not accustomed to this. In talking on trade conditions with prominent feature distributors in Boston, the , heads of the firm seemed to think they were on singularly unfertile ground. Actual receipts show that for features, for which the handlers get $50 a night in New York City, it is impossible to get more than $15 a day in Yew England. "People living outside of New England do not realize what we are up against," said one of the feature men. "Exhibitors here become accustomed to cheap features. Several firms came in which released features at five and ten dollars a day and the result is that if an exhibitor pays more than ten dollars a day for features he thinks he is being cheated. "The character of the audiences must be taken into consideration. An exhibitor can give his regular patrons a good show day in and day out for a long time, then if a single program falls down, it will take him six weeks to recover the ground he loses by that single day. "Folks in New York State, on the Pacific Coast, in the Middle West and in all the strongholds of motion pictures do not realize what a fortunate position they are in. They can show a poor program one day and the people will return the next day hoping to see better pictures. Here, one day's exhibition will seriously cripple a man's business for several weeks. Mayor Acts as Censor "Firms that are distributing high-class features find that their work is cut out for them. It is impossible to get the prices for services that are got in other parts of the country. On that account a much .larger number of customers must be handled by an exchange to make a profit. Winning New England people to good play pictures is a disheartening task. We are keeping at it because we feel that when the era THE BULL TIGHT Scene from "A Thief of Hearts" (Pathe)