We're celebrating a classic today. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho opened nationwide in theaters on Sept. 8, 1960. This followed its initial outing in New York City. Psycho premiered on June 16 at the DeMille Theatre and Baronet Theatre in New York City, then expanded throughout the summer to become a nationwide phenomenon.Rather than following the usual prestigious path his films took—opening in major cities in one or two theaters for a few weeks—he embraced the exploitation movie tactics of William Castle. In the U.S., Hitch oversaw the marketing campaign and restricted his actors from doing any press coverage to limit any potential spoilers and create public curiosity.Theaters were asked to post a warning from Hitchcock that no one would be admitted after the film had started. These warnings also ran in the form of newspaper advertisements.Hitch also pioneered the modern-day "spoiler warning," asking audiences not to discuss the film's shocking twists (which no doubt led to even more curiosity). Some signs read:“We won’t allow you to cheat yourself. You must see Psycho from the very beginning. Therefore, do not expect to be admitted into the theatre after the start of each performance of the picture. We say no one—and we mean no one—not even the manager’s brother, the President of the United States, or the Queen of England (God bless her)!Ticket sales stopped the moment the reel started, and latecomers were directed to buy tickets for the next showing.The gamble paid off.In its opening week, Psycho grossed $46,500 at the DeMille...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Monday, 8 September