Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Bank Night

American  
[bangk nahyt] / ˈbæŋk ˌnaɪt /

noun

Informal.
  1. (in the 1930s) an evening when prizes were awarded by lottery to members of the audience at a movie theater as part of a promotion to encourage theater patronage.


Etymology

Origin of Bank Night

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The simplicity of Bank Night makes all the more remarkable the way in which it has functioned, not merely to the advantage of theatre owners, but also to that of its shrewd young promoters.

From Time Magazine Archive

Affiliated Enterprises won a suit brought by a Bank Night salesman on the grounds that if anyone owed him commissions it was Roy Hoffener, New England "Bank Night Distributor."

From Time Magazine Archive

Most important news of Bank Night last week came from Des Moines where the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Bank Night was not illegal.

From Time Magazine Archive

Estimated Bank Night prizes in Chicago theatres last year totaled $6,000,000.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bank Night is a copyright scheme invented by a onetime Fox booking agent named Charles U. Yaeger, who leases it to theatres for from $5 to $50 a week depending on their size.

From Time Magazine Archive

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training