“zoning” and “clearance” policies
Zoning and clearance policies, during the Hollywood Golden Era, specified where a picture would play and for how long the picture would run. These policies aimed at making sure that theaters which were not vertically integrated into major studio systems would rarely showcase 'box office hits'. By doing so, the major studios ensured that box office hits would only play in their own theaters. Essentially, these policies minimized studio risk, but more importantly, they ensured favorable treatment of the theaters affiliated to the major Hollywood studios.