European Journal of Cultural Studies 1–16 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1367549415592894 ecs.sagepub.com EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF Going to the exclusive show: Exhibition strategies and moviegoing memories of Disney’s animated feature films in Ghent (1937–1982) Lies Van de Vijver Ghent University, Belgium Abstract This is a case study of the exploitation and experience of Disney’s animated feature films from the 1930s to the 1980s in Ghent (Belgium). It is a historical study of programming practices and financial strategies which constructed childhood memories on watching Disney. The study is a contribution to a historical understanding of the implications of global distribution of film as cultural products and the counter pull of localism. Using a multi-method approach, the argument is made that the scarce screenings were strategically programmed to uplift the moviegoing experience into something out of the ordinary in everyday life. Programming and revenue data characterize the screenings as exclusive and generating high intakes. Consequently, the remembered screenings did not exhale an easy accessible social status nor an image of pervasiveness of popular childhood film, contradictory to conventional accounts of Disney’s ubiquity in popular culture. Keywords Childhood cinemagoing, cinema memory, cultural globalization, film programming and box office, localism, New Cinema History, Walt Disney Introduction Thus, understanding Disney’s global impact and significance is not simply a matter of documenting and analyzing the continuing expansion of its products in global markets. We also Corresponding author: Lies Van de Vijver, Ghent University, Korte Meer 11, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Email: Liesbeth.vandevijver@ugent.be 592894ECS 0 0 10.1177/1367549415592894European Journal of Cultural StudiesVan de Vijver research-article 2015 Article by guest on August 3, 2015 ecs.sagepub.com Downloaded from