A Place for Publicity

An all-star cast and word of mouth might be box office guarantees but an effective channel of publicity could definitely help start the ball rolling. Theatres would distribute for free or sell handbills and souvenir booklets with synopses, production stills or lyrics to attract more audience. Some well-established theatres even had their own newsletters, reporting upcoming shows and Hollywood news. Huang Hon Ying Sheng published by Queen's Theatre in 1929 is one of the earliest movie magazines.

Handbill and Souvenir Booklet, Elaborated

The most widely-circulated publicity material had to be the free handbill with a detailed synopsis. Souvenir booklet, on the other hand, sold at 20 cents each, might be a luxury for the low-income folks in the 1950s and 1960s. The revenue usually went to the staff as "tips" and so the box office attendants would often casually slip the booklet in and charge the extra. Fans of opera films were especially fond of the booklet, for it had all the lyrics on it and fans could recite at home after watching the film to keep the music going.

Newsletter, Designated

During the 1920s, Queen's Theatre and World Theatre in Central had their own one-page, alternate-day newsletter with film blurbs and reviews. Both newsletters, issued in bound volumes as well, were published by Ming Da Company, which also published handbills for New Tai Yat Theatre, Hong Kong Grand Theatre and Cheong Lok Theatre, as well as a film magazine.

Theatre Premiere, Celebrated

In the era of simpler life, the opening of a new theatre was much celebrated. Not only popular movie stars, but also socialites and even the Hong Kong governor would attend the opening ceremony. Adding flavour to the festivity, the opening film would often be named (in Chinese) after the theatre, for instance:

Princess Theatre
Opening day: 10 December 1952 / Opening film: Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder

Empire Theatre
Opening day: 11 December 1952 / Opening film: Just For You

Astor Theatre
Opening day: 24 December 1957 / Opening film: The Pajama Game

Kam Wa Theatre
Opening day: 21 December 1954 / Opening film: A Houseful of Treasures (Produced by Tai Seng Film Company, which owned Kam Wa Theatre)

Daily Advertisement, Collaborated

The Hong Kong Theatre Association Limited would publish joint newspaper advertisements for all the theatres in Hong Kong with daily screening schedules. The "Hong Kong-Kowloon first run theatres joint advertisement" first appeared in July 1956 with only information from a few foreign film theatres. It later expanded into "Hong Kong-Kowloon theatres joint advertisement" in 1971, and in the 1980s, it became a joint advertisement for all theatres in Hong Kong. The printed ad was finally replaced by an online version in March 2012.