Movie business in Manila holding up well

Title

Language

English

Year

1934

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

June, 1934 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 17 Movie Business in Manila Holding Up Well Reasonable prosperity in the movie business in the Phil ippines is attested by construction, now underway, of another modern movie theater on the Escolta. It is being built by Eastern Theatrical Enterprises, Inc., and word is that it will cost in the neighborhood of Fl,000,000. Another straw indicating favorable winds in the movie business is the success, in the provinces particularly, of the movies of the Philippines that are made in Manila. Those made at the Tait & Harris lot on calle Inverness, in the company’s large new soundproof studio, hit a very satisfactory pace. The American agencies have been interviewed for a sum mary of the situation as to their films. American films catch on best, of course: the public likes their tempo, they give the people their songs and favorite dance music. The business side: Four agencies kindly answered a memorandum, pertaining only to first-run theaters. One theater reported January and April better than the same months last year, February and March not so good. Another had a better January this year than last year, with February to April below last year. Another was 8% below last year in January, nearly double last year in February, 11% over last year in March and 25% in April. Another ran 57% below last year in January and 39% in February, and 10% above last year in March and April. The Ideal, enjoying good patronage too, was being rebuilt last year and comparisons are therefore not available. This theater runs MGM films. Greta Garbo in Queen Christina has been its best boxoffice hit this year, and the best since September. Second and third boxoffice hits since September, Crosby and Davies in Going Hollywood, and Laurel and Hardy in Sons of the Desert. Its 3 most popular men stars are Ramon Novarro, Clarke Gable, Robert Montgomery; and women stars, Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford. Its upstairs patrons prefer sophisticated social drama; main floor patrons, religious spectacles; and something to suit both, historical pageantry. Radio’s best boxoffice picture this year was Tarzan ana the Blonde Venus; and since September, King Kong. Its best 3 boxoffice pictures since September, King Kong, Flying Down to Rio, and Bird of Paradise, with Aloha next. It handles Acme films. Its 3 most popular men stars are Richard Dix, Joel McCrea and Bill Boyd; and women stars, Dolores del Rio, Irene Dunn and Katherine Hepburn. Its upstairs patrons prefer social drama; main floor, melodrama and west erns; to please both, guess. If you could guess a King Kong every time you would always be in the money. Lyric features Paramount and Universal pictures. Its business since January has run steadily and remarkably ahead of last year’s same period. The boxoffice was best pleased over Too Much Harmony, then Take a Chance, then The Way to Love. Eastern Theatrical have the Fox and the Metropolitan. Best boxoffice picture at the Fox this year was I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, which was also the best since September, with Mystery of the Wax Museum second. Three most popular men stars, Paul Muni, Eddie Cantor, Edward i ’ ■■■.......... ■ “ - ■ 1 “Ride” With The Champion VEEDOL—The Oil That g||iH Holds All Records for— 1 SPEED-Stamina Durability RELIABLE LAMP Distributed by Elmac Inc. Associated Oil Company P. O. Box 627 — Manila — 625 Rizal Ave. IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 18 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL June. 1934 MARVELOUS RESULTS/ CONDITIONS DON’T MATTER when you take a snapshot with a JfcuQJCL Camera EXCLUSIVE AGENTS BOTICA DE SANTA CRUZ Plaza Goiti, Manila, P. I. The lESCO Annual School SALE is now in full swing/ If you want a nice comfortable pair or two for your kid—— now’s the time to buy ’em/ Our Prices Are So Low. You Can Easily Buy Three Or Four Pairs For The Whole Family Even ESCO SHOE STORES 615 Escolta and 333 Legarda G. Robinson: women, Janet Gaynor, Eli'~a Lamb, Lilian Harvey. Its upstairs patrons like action drama: main tlo<>r. quick-moving melodrama—which tmt< over up'tairs t<«j if direction and action are up to expectations. Eddie Cantor in Roman Scandals was Metropolitan’s best offering this year, the boxoffice shows, and ('olley, Humor best since September. Gold Diggers of 1933 ran third. Patrons here have the same preferences in pictures as those at the Fox. The Grand was closed toward the latter end of last year, for remodeling, new seats and cooling and ventilation. In December it opened under new management, and in January ran Universal’s Invisible Man, its best boxoffice picture since reopening. It releases Columbia pictures for first runs. Lady for a Day and Beloir the Sea rank second and third after In visible Man. But the boxoffice also showed May Inang Mahirap, a Tait Harris feature, very popular with main floor patrons—bearing out what has been said above about the newer, better Manila pictures. Unabated popularity of the movies has been a primary factor in the prosperity of Manila newspapers ever since the depres sion, setting in, reduced revenue from other lines of adver tising. Business from the movies offsets this loss of other revenue very materially. So the movies both entertain you and provide you better newspapers. is the sure sequel to a sleepless night. No concentration; no control over one's faculties; general depression; painful discontent If you want to work well you must have your nerves in order; your nerves will be raw if you do not sleep well. Your salvation lies in Bromural Tablets ■■Knoii * . Their world-wide fame is founded on their rapid nerve-soothing action which restores sound sleep thus enabling you to utilise your full working capacity. Vouched for as harm less and not habit-forming. Obtainable from all the trading rbrmiUt Tubes of X tablet * . Knoll A.-G , Chemical Works, Ludwigshafen-on-Rhine. FORMULA: Ur.'twrw 0-051 Benaoato l t.co 0-028 Sales ? nera.—ci. 0-046 Fostato <lisW.ro 0-023 Escp.ento elervesveme q , para 1 jr IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL

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