Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-19
Four Billion for Amusemen to.

Four Billion for Amusements.
Nothing indicates the vast sums OF
money Americans are spending for plea
sure, or non-essentials, as the announce
mcnt that New York City is to have eight
more theatres at cost Of $25,OOO,Oo0,
With five hundred theaters already open
in that city, and total OF $50 IN the
metropolitan district, one would have
thought the needs of the 5000. 900 people
there were already met and anticipated TO r
years to come. With the abundance OF
money to distribute for amusements
shrewd dramatic managers estimate That
eight more, erected at an average cost OF
SO, 900, 900. can be filled and made to yield
profit of 20 per cent on the inves tment.
These figures represent gross ticket
sale from the houses in year or so al
most equal to their original cost. for at
fractions and upkeep. advertising, etc,
will cost three times as much as the esti-
mated profit can be.
1t would be interesting to know how
much the earnings of the-65O playhouses
have been in the last year, but this can
only be approximated by considering the
luxury tax on tickets at 10 per cent. In
the height of last season the tax reached al
most 81 100000 month, representing
S15.0O0,0O0 q month for more than nine
months or about s15O,oO0.000 spent for
amusements in New York during the
season. Inasmuch as New York repre-
sents not more thar twentieth OF the
country, it may be seen that In the
theatres alone the nation spends more
than $4,000. 100000 year. In addition
there are, Of 6ourse. operas, and other
musical affairs. circuses, fairs, races, foot
ball games, outdoor sports of various
kinds, with baseball leading all the latter
group.
The movie films have spread into
every town and cross roads village. and In
these later days everybody almost is
contributor to the more than $4,000, ,0OO,-
600 Americans are paying for diversions
every year.
NNeitS ot,t "'' 49,
ing such an advance in the quantity OF
entertainments would have been the sub
iect of an immediate and searching in
quiry as to his sanity. At that time New
York's ten or dozen theatres accommo-
dated all the applying patrons and more
often they were only half filed. even with
prices for the choice seats at $50, where
as at this time it is just as easy to pack
house at from SO TO whatever price is ask
ed as it was to, attract half capacity
audience of the earlier days.
OF course, no one would even intimate
that the performances are worth more
these days, for everybody who knows any
thing of the theatre understands that the
plays, as we'll as the quality OF the per-
formance, have degenerated nightly IN
the last quarter of a century until we al
most have few real actors left, while the
legitimate drama seems to have gone INTO
the forgotten past. our plays, meantime
developing into exhibitions Of mantua-
making. shapely female figures. daring
dancing and ,low-often very low
comedy.
Whether we are gaining anything by
the increasing number of plays or wider
opportunities for diversion is q question
that will be answered from hundred
different angles-from that Of the man
who is Of the opinion the stage should De
uplifting TO that of the lad who finds the
"eat EN- alive" films equal to all art1snc
warnings. Motion pictures may be SAID
to be instructive when the films show some
of the leading happenings OF the day, or
present the portraits Of the men OF the
moment who have newly stepped into the
limelight And, too, they cannot fail to De
helpful as travel is helpful, when they re-
produce moving views Of people and Gus
toms and the geography of the out-oi-the-
way countries.
Wilmington, until twenty-five years
ago, had but one playhouse; then for
long time it had but two. This number
multiplied fast when the films came into |
use to entertain the public and at the |
present time there are ten theatres on |
Market street alone. and there are other. |
in sections further removed from the |
center Of the city, and all are almost al
ways filed and at constantly ascending |
prices that must net large sums to the in
vestors. It would not be far out of the |
way to estimate that during the winter |
season at least 100000 is expended here
for arnuMements of one form or another.