COMPANY MEETING
IDEON
THEATRES LIMITED
PROFIT ESTIMATE EXCEEDED THE second annual general meeting of Odeon Theatres, Limited, was held on No% ember 7th at the Dorchester Hotel, London, W. Mr. Oscar Deutsch (chairman of the company) who presided, said that the theatre profit had amounted to k513,380—an increase of £141,811—and the directors were recommending the same dividend as last year, namely, so per cent., less tax, and were pro- posing to plough back into the business in some form or another approximately 73 per cent. of the year's available profit, thus carry- ing out their conservative policy with regard to distribution of profit. At their last meeting he had given a short list of films which had been booked to their Circuit which he had considered would be box office winners. The success of his predictions in that respect was reflected in the accounts now before them, and he emphasised the point because of the equally satisfactory list of films, from both British and American studios, that the directors had so far already succeeded in securing for exhibition during the present financial year—they included " Lambeth Walk," " Mikado," Spy in Black," • " Goodbye Mr. Chips," " Wuthenng Heights," " Nurse Edith Cavell," " The Lion Has Wings," " Stage Coach," " Three Smart Girls Grow Up," " Q Planes," " Love Affair " and "Four Feathers," a list which, in his opinion, was unprecedented for its strength of box office pulling power, and had also the important feature of being in an unbroken line. They had, s!nce the completion of the accounts under review, maintained their turnover as compared with the previous year, apart from the period of compulsory closing. The screen had come into its own as exercising a powerful influence on the public mind no less powerful than Press or radio. The Government had now recognised the power of the film in- dustry in this particular respect by setting up what was perhaps the most important division of the Ministry of Information—the film division, under the most able directorship of Sir Joseph Ball, a well-known and understanding friend of the industry for some time past. The business they were doing in some areas was truly remark- able. Peace-time weekly records had been broken in the case of quite a number of theatres, and there was, as yet, no evidence of any material drop in the evacuation areas.
Report unanimously adopted.
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