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The Empress usually followed a Week One
three-nights policy of B-features at the 9 cinemas
weekend, and a repeat of the Windsor Frid. 24 - Mon. 27 May
program mid-week; in week three. Malvern New Malvern -
Tinkering with the pattern was Caulfield Crystal Palace
common. Four years earlier Victory St. Kilda Memorial
St. Kilda and the Regent South Yarra
Tues. - Thurs.
had shared week one with seven other
Albert Park Park
theatres, all inner suburbans. Their
Fitzroy Regent
average distance from the GPO was
North Fitzroy Merri
still 5 km. Hoyts returned to this
Port Melbourne Eclipse
pattern in the mid-1950s.
Richmond Cinema
The introduction of CinemaScope
St Kilda Memorial
saw selected cinemas brought into a
South Yarra Regent
‘simultaneous with city’ release pattern,
while others were moved from third to Week Two
second week, and from fifth to fourth 1 cinema
week. However Shore Williamstown Fri. - Mon.
remained in week six. Nil
DEALING WITH A FLOP Tues. - Thurs.
Any feature worthy of a city release Ascot Vale Waratah
could be expected to get a suburban Finish
run, at least for three nights mid-week,
Failures are interesting
if only as the support.
because they raise questions
Sometimes audience response was about how much effort
so negative that contracts for the should be put into marketing.
suburbs had to be renegotiated. Evidently 11 theatres was a
Here are two examples, chosen sufficient trial to convince
because both were from 20th Century Hoyts that the film had no
Fox, the company which controlled future.
Hoyts. Their fate shows that there was
no special treatment given by Hoyts
exhibition to Fox distribution.
Wilson (1946)
A personal project from production
head Darryl F. Zanuck, Wilson was a
'big- thinking' picture: the story of
President Woodrow Wilson's efforts to
found the League of Nations and a plea
to the world to not let the United
Nations fail, as Wilson's dream had.
Zanuck marshalled the technical,
writing and directing elite at Fox for
their most prestigious film in years.
Audiences didn't want to know. One
commentator described the film as “like
taking a dose of chloroform”.
In Melbourne Wilson opened at the
De Luxe in April 1946 where it ran for
a fortnight. A berth at the Plaza or
Capitol might have been expected for
such a prestige production. (Remember;
the Regent at this time was burnt out.)
In the suburbs Wilson by-passed the
Top: The Herald 4 April 1946.
main St Kilda theatres opening at the
Above: Woodrow Wilson (Alexander Knox) in campaign mode. Advisor (Thomas Mitchell)
Memorial (for one week) and at some
and wife Edith (Geraldine Fitzgerald) look on.
others for three nights:

CINEMARECORD 2006 27