1977's 'Saturday Night Fever' was a hit movie in America and in many other countries. However, its foul language, nudity and adult themes meant that it was given an 'adults only' rating which limited who could see it.

So in 1979 Paramount released a 'general audience' edit of the film with the controversial scenes cut and some of the language redubbed. In New Zealand this was given a GA 'General Audience' rating and proved to be just as successful.

It was a busy time for John Travolta- this slide reveals that 'Saturday Night Fever' was being shown as a double billing with 'Grease'- another Travolta film! 

By the late 1970s cinema trends were changing. New Zealanders used to go to the cinema as a social occasion and often picked what they wanted to watch when they got there. But the rise of the Hollywood 'blockbuster' meant that people now went to the cinema to see a particular film. This, and the rise of television, led to a sharp decline in ticket sales. In 1960 the average New Zealand went to 'the flicks' around seventeen times- by 1981 that was only five times and the total number of cinemas went from over 500 down to around 150. Foxton's Coronation Hall was one of these causalities and had ceased to be a regular cinema.

A new magazine with a trendy new movie- given that it is showcasing 'Saturday Night Fever' it is a good guess that this issue came out in 1977. But this magazine is doing more than just showing new features- it's introducing new words as well.

'Movies' is a recent term for New Zealand and it only became popular here in the 1980s. Before then a night out with the 'big screen' was known as going to the 'cinema' (or 'The Flicks') to see a 'film' or a 'picture'. 'Movies' was an American term and magazines like this helped bring it to the fore. All the American television programmes and films certainly had an impact too!

Whatever you wanted to call them they were still a popular night out, with Kiwis seeing at least five films on average a year. 

This slide was shown during intermission in local cinemas (or should that be 'movie theatre'?)