The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-21
Interior of a palace in anoWng picture city fittings of this curt were very costly

thinking that they must have a change
once or twice a week they will be
content to run the same production for
several months or nm entire season.
After q play runs in the leading thea
tres az five or six bug cities the pro-
auction Will he shown in other cities.
Gradually /; Will appear In smaller
and smaller places.
This gives a Ions lie to p play. a
l,fe of AT least five to ten years. This
has its commercial AZ We'll as is sem
timcnla, value. Although the price to
The theatre for the use of the reels
Will decrease as The size OF the city
decreases. Yet the number ~ cities in
which the production will he shown
VIII rapidly increase as their size di-
FINISHES.
For instance. the frst year tho pro-
uUccrs might get $4,000 each from nv e
theatres. making a total Of $50. GOT:
the second year they might get only
$4,000 from each theatre. but they
would he receiving an income from
my theatres. while three wears later
they might receive only $3.50 per thea
TIE. bu; a thousand theatres would he
showing IT,"
In these remarks of Mr. Erenun's he
touched on the great economic possi-
h!lit!cs of the game, Nothing succeeds
without a reason. hence there j. a real
reason why the movie business is such
a financial success. and alNaNS will
ne. In hears the same relation TO the
amusement fled that the chain stores
bear 10 the merchandising field.
~ 90 ... ,I.,L. IL. .E De-
income is absolutely limited each day
10 the capacity of the theatre. Hence
there l. almost = physical i.ni, ~ the
am"unt of money which can lee spent
proiitdbly in prod ICING a play Ia he
shown along the old ines When n
cast, however, plays 10 the movie
camera its efforts can Ice shown every
night To- thousands q: audiences. More
ever, these audiences are not confined
TO n n country, as pictures are "A
universal. language. with his thought
N mind II VIII he seen that there
really is not So much risk IN spending
a million dollars for one production
before the Cam"Ia as IN spending a
few thousand dollars for one Broadway
production to Ice shown along the old
lines.
The Development Of the business
along these lines neCessitates a com
Pete and modern selling organization
~ was much interested in what the
! financial head Of one OF the big COM
pan.es told me, 1t was as follows:
"~lroduc!ns a play is only a part of
the game After a play is produced the
reels must be sold. As the expense OF
the production increases the impor-
lance Of the selling becomes vastly
greater. Productions are p%erishable in
"A way, for some one else may at any
time produce a similar play. II this
would tend Ia Kill both.
Every man producing n play Won
dcrs whether SOM one else has in
mind the production of "A similar play,
or may indeed he even then at work
pom it. This Is what | mean by say
M that productions are, in a way.
p~erishah,c, TIL" more quickly they are
produced and the more quickly they
are presented aft,G' being produced the
greater the profits, Hence the success
full company must contain two impor-
tant personalities; namely, a great pro.
Queer and a great business man.
"A company which lacks either one
Of these is doomed to failure. Given
these two master minds, success Is In
e~vitablc. and the greater Tho invest
mcnt the less the competition and the
greater the rewards.
"But you asked me about new dcyel-
opments in the business, Perhaps you
have In mind the possibilities OF the
use of moving pictures in educational
scientific and other work, II 80 LEI me
! say that I agree with you that there