On the surface, the exhibition side of the movie industry seemed stable during the 1970s. While the major Hollywood studios struggled to redefine themselves within the TV age, the movie show seemed vanilla plain, as far frown the golden days of the movie palace as one could imagine. The only change appeared to come at the popcorn stand, where the number of treats available at inflated prices seemed to increase daily. Indeed, during the 1970s the average theater saw its revenue share from concession sales rise from one-eighth to one-fifth of the total. But this seeming stasis masked considerable transformation. There was steady growth in the number of available indoor screens in commercial use, as multiplexing slowly pushed the figure from 10,000 towards 15,000.2
The 1970s surely was the decade when the theatrical moviegoing experience hit its nadir in the United States. Cluster after cluster of unadorned screening rooms typically offered only previews of Hollywood's latest features, maybe an ad or two, and then the blockbuster of the week. It was as if, realizing that they had lost the battle with TV, the exhibitors gave up almost all pretense of the competition that had long defined this sector of the industry.
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