Exhibition in the Early Years Newsreel Theaters and It’s Function

Abstract

This paper deals with the substance of the newsreel theater before the China Incident in 1937 and shows the actual circumstances of exhibition and its function. The newsreel theater showed not only newsreel films but also various short films. Many newsreel theaters were located in convenient places in each city, in particular beside train stations. Therefore urban inhabitants could go to and from newsreel theaters easily and spend their time. And what’s more, a lot of newsreel theaters had modem equipment: an air conditioners for example, was first-class service for spectators in those days. The convenient location and service, that the newsreel theater provided satisfied urban spectators who had begun to seek a comfortable life and casual movie-going. On the other hand, the newsreel theater collected a flat admission fee regardless of age, and also. took children into account as primary spectators from an economic perspective. The newsreel theater screened animation films such as “Mickey Mouse” which were always popular among children. Partly because the movie-going of children was regulated in those days, they came to the newsreel theater with their parents or teachers.