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Harrison's Reports (1960) - Will the Hard-Ticket Policy Die in Time to Save Theaters?

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WILL THE HARD-TICKET POLICY DIE IN TIME TO SAVE THEATRES?

The widely read investment survey, "The Value Line," in its recent examination of entertainment industry stocks, described the roadshow sales method as follows:

"The company opens the film in only a limited number of theatres in major cities around the world. The initial engagements, featured by sale of reserved seats at advanced prices, generally last several months, sometimes over a year. Only after the picture has fully exhausted its potential in these key houses will it go to theatres in nearby communities. Even then, the film will be exhibited on the basis of one or two showings a day and at higher-than-usual admission charges. This pattern of gradually moving down the scale, charging what the traffic will bear, continues over a period of several years until the picture is offered at neighborhood theatres at popular prices. The advantage of this form of distribution is that, from a given number of audiences, the picture will generate the maximum box office receipts."

Unfortunately, Value Line does not touch upon the weaknesses of the roadshow policy. First of all, what will become much more obvious to film company stockholders in the near future, is that the whole idea of roadshowing a picture represents a big risk on the part of the distributor.

When word reaches the bulk of exhibition that a picture is failing to stand up as a roadshow, they are not so quick to buy it—and if they do they will ask better terms since its shortcomings have been spotlighted in its hard-ticket run. Thus Value Line's reference to a "pattern of gradually moving down the scale" is blasted, since there is no automatic audience fore any film today. Even the hits encounter trouble when they arrive stale.

Next to be considered is that as more features fail to make the grade as road-shows—"Sunrise at Campobello" seems to be suffering this experience—(and industryites have already tagged several forthcoming roadshow offerings as extremely bad risks) the public is less apt to pay $3.50 for a movie that may be offered at a more popular price the following week.

The public is also going to realize that several roadshow attractions have no reason for being hard-ticketed other than that is the distributor's sales policy to squeeze more money from the patron. For despite extravagant claims, many hard-ticket films never cost more than twice as much as the average "A" picture today. We hope that exhibitors are not being fooled by the publicity releases mentioning astronomical production costs, which, if true, would make a better

case for a higher film price—to the exhibitor. For example, "The Alamo" was brought in for less than half of its asserted $12 million cost.

Advocates of the roadshow policy will point to "Ben-Hur," which M-G-M says has grossed more than $2? million in its 97 U.S. and Canadian dates. However, it must be remembered that "Ben-Hur" is in an orbit of its own today.

Our answer is to point to "Psycho," the modestly-budgeted Hitchcock shocker which Paramount, its distributor, claims has accounted for over $7,250,000 in its first 3,825 U.S. and Canadian engagements.

Stockholders should be made aware that M-G-M's "Ben-Hur" policy shortsightedly deprives most theatre-customers of a money-making attraction, while Paramount, in the case of "Psycho" is allowing thousands of theatres to benefit from a smash hit.

A producer who sets out to make a roadshow film is like the ballplayer who tries to hit a homer each time at bat, rather than just to smack the ball solidly, for a safe hit. Producers, we believe, will soon realize they have a better chance of hitting today's sky-is-the-limit jackpot by making more films for their money. They also stand a better chance to stay in the league.

With Universal-International's "Spartacus" reportedly doing "near capacity" business in its first six roadshow dates, Milton Rackmil, U-I president, had the following to say at the recent Allied States convention:

"I feel there is a place on the horizon for the roadshow attraction, but it must represent something particularly special, or there is no reason under any condition to place a picture on a roadshow basis.

"Only the very unusual property with great values in cast, story and production, and which can sustain itself with audiences, should be given the advanced price-reserved seat treatment. Unless this principle is followed, the public is disillusioned and the whole industry suffers. We are therefore, and will continue to be cautious in our determination that a picture be placed on a roadshow policy."

Concluded Mr. Rackmil, "I might add that we have no present plans on our schedule of productions for any roadshow picture."

Universal has, of course, provided exhibitors recently with a good number of outstanding soft-ticket attractions, which must help ease some of the pain theatremen undergo who are being deprived of "Spartacus" at this point.

Until the film companies—and their stockholders—realize how unusual such successes as "Ben-Hur" and "Spartacus" are, the small exhibitors will have to fight to stay open, while seeing film company profits derived from small-town and subsequent-run theatres being gambled on roadshow attractions, which they can't book, and which, in increasing numbers, are failing to attract the public on a hardticket basis.

For the industry's sake, and especially for the survival of the little exhibitor, we hope roadshows are on the way out, and that the public gets a chance to see more and better films in their neighborhood theatres.

A greater supply of good pictures made available to all exhibition, and therefore to all segments of the public, is the real answer to a more successful industry.

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