Theatre Catalog (1949-50)

Table No. 19 Price Range of Sales: 1 to 500 Seats 36.5 % 40.3% 11.9% 11.3% At 5 Cents At 10 Cents At 20 Cents At 25 Cents and Up stand facilities not enjoyed by the smaller theatres, and a compact audience that cannot avoid the implications of the stand, as is possible in the larger theatres. Good-sized theatres with a large percentage of family patronage may be another reason. But the industry national average of 56.6 sales per hundred patrons is a yery believable total, as contrasted to 59.6 sales in the 1947 survey, and now representing a sales volume per week of 50,940,000, projected on the known 90,000,000 admissions per week to the nation’s theatres. The average’ price per sale, increasing from 8.2¢ in the small theatre to about 9¢ in the large theatre, and showing a national average of 8.5¢ per sale, con 501 to 1000 Seats 40.0% 38.6 Yo 11.8% 09.6% 1001 Seats and Over 39.6% 39.3% 08.3% 12.8% Average 37.7% 39.9% 11.6% 10.8 % trasts to the earlier 1947 finding of 7.9¢ per sale. Yet, here, once again, the CENSUS “package” proves itself through cross-checking with other questions. It has been shown earlier in Table No. 17 that the sale of popcorn, beverages, and ice cream is increasing, and all of these normally represent a 10¢ price. It has also been shown in Table No. 19 that there is a growing popularity in the products selling for 10¢ and higher. It is, therefore, very logical to believe that the average price per sale must, and does, increase. By simple arithmetic it is possible to project these final figures into a very positive annual gross retail business through the nation’s vending facilities. Table No. 20 Volume of Sales: I to 500 Seats 1. Number of Items Stocked 20.6 2. Average Number of Sales for 100 Patrons 56.4 3. Average Price per Sale .082¢ | hal | [| Hl: sae gs LOBBY SHOPS depend on the ay. designed to abut the lobby or street in such ee : @ manner as to cater to the non-admission paying passerby as well as to the theatre patron, Wherever 1949-50 THEATRE CATALOG ailability of large space and are usually 501 to 1000 1001 Seats Average Seats and Over 39.9 53.1 29.0 64.6 36.2 56.6 .091¢ .09¢ .085¢ tried they have usually shown a profit th rentals received from store space. Her . ee shop includes a well equipped lunch bar, Based on the presumed 90,000,000 motion picture theatre patrons weekly, as drawn from annual federal admission tax totals and other industry totals, 56.6 purchases per hundred patrons indicate a weekly total of 50,940,000 sales. Multiplying this total sales volume by the average sale price of 8.5¢ produces the staggering weekly total of $4,329,900. The 52-week year, therefore, should total $225,154,800; and while this is small in contrast to Film Daily Year Book’s estimate that the U.S. film theatres’ admission gross is 1948, exclusive of federal and state admission taxes, was $1,545,000,000, it still isn’t hay! CONCLUSION AND APPRECIATION The thanks of these publications and all members of their staffs who participated in this first NATIONAL THEATRE CENSUS goes out to the many hundreds of theatre men who thoughtfully analyzed their facilities and experiences and had sufficient confidence in the integrity of the publishers to commit many rather confidential reports to their handling. Each of these owners has been promised, and will receive, a personal copy of the findings, from which he can contrast his own particular operation to the national average of the same size theatre. It is the publisher’s hope that such firm yardsticks will be useful and helpful to the continuing advancement of the nation’s theatres and of their annual gross income. On such mutual confidence between owners and the trade papers which serve them, much future progress can be based. Gentlemen, our sincere thanks! greater than former ere at the Park, Tampa, Fla., the lobby 489