In 1909, Moving Picture World printed some stats on the U. S. film industry under the title, “Do You Know…” Here are a couple of excerpts from that page: That 250,000 people visit motion picture theaters in New York City every weekday? That 500,000 people visit motion picture theaters every Sunday? That there are 6000 licensed motion picture theaters in the U. S.? That there are now almost a 1000 more licensed theaters in the U. S. then there was 3 months ago? Now, this was in 1909. Before 1910, France had dominated the worldwide industry. However, World War I turned the film industry upside down by eliminating most of the European film industry, leaving the public screaming for more entertainment. The film industry’s shift to the United States caused a massive void, and the rapid growth made it very hard to control. But while the public was screaming for more films and all of the new theaters were looking everywhere to try to satisfy their consumers, Edison was trying to allow only those people who would pay him royalties through his Motion Picture Patents Co. to exhibit films. Here is a quote from the March 12, 1910 issue of Moving Picture World by Edwin Thanhouser who started Thanhouser Films: I saw its possibilities. I became filled with the idea that I could produce better pictures than a majority of those I had seen. The idea became a