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Out of the past

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CONTRARY TO “Wednesday Express” [by John Horn, Aug. 6], Wednesday movie openings are a return to a procedure established over 90 years ago with the rise of first-run exhibition in movie palaces. It was one of many practices borrowed from the legitimate stage, where new plays opened on Wednesdays to allow for reviews published on Thursdays to hopefully inspire weekend attendance.

The practice changed in the late 1970s because, with the rise and presumed importance of film critics, a majority of “popcorn” movies were getting negative reviews and it was decided that Friday openings would get around this as far as such reviews affect attendance.

Rick Mitchell

Los Angeles

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