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"The Time Machine" was part of the MGM "Children's Matinee" series in the early-70's, which gave new theatrical life to a number of primo Metro titles with sparkling new prints and fresh ad campaigns. Updated trailers and TV spots were prepared for "The Invisible Boy" and "Forbidden Planet", as well as "The Time Machine". It's also intresting to note that in 1972, the year of the "Time Machine" matinees, MGM also re-packaged three vintage horrors, "Mask Of Fu Manchu"(edited for racial content), "Mark Of The Vampire", and Paramount's "Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"(the negative owned by Metro since their '41 remake). Targeted playdates here were "midnight" shows more than matinees. All of this MGM re-issue activity was an outgrowth of the company's "Perpetual Product Plan", which had been instituted in 1962 for a massive output of library titles which were handled by independent distributors, as opposed to the MGM exchanges.
I was a college freshman in 1972 when "The Time Machine" turned up as a kid matinee on a Saturday, and I happily recall gathering up a bunch of guys on the hall that morning --- all of us walking downtown to the show, and enjoying it thoroughly. Most of my companions that day remembered the movie from NBC's "Saturday Night At The Movies" in 1965, when "The Time Machine" had it's television premiere. Getting a group together to go to the movies was a good way to make friends in school. I remember similar excursions for the re-issue of "The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad", "The Wizard Of Oz", and the "Thunderball"/"You Only Live Twice" combo.
For the record, "The Time Machine" was a great success in 1960, produced at a very economical negative cost of $829,000, with domestic rentals of $1.9 million (fantastic for a sci-fi pic), $1.3 million foreign --- for a worldwide $3.2 million and a profit of $721,000. My research indicates that it maintained a healthy theatrical presense all the way up to it's 1965 NBC bow. Small-town, drive-in, and grindhouse bookings were pretty much non-stop throughout the 60's for many of the horror/sci-fi titles release since the early 50's. Movie-going really was an adventure in those days. You never knew what your local exhibitor might bring in --- not like today when it's all so numbingly predictable.

As to the reception of George Pal's MGM features, "tom thumb" was indeed the most profitable of the group, with $1.9 domestic rentals, $2.5 foreign, for a worldwide $4.4. Against a very reasonable negative cost of $909,000, the picture showed a profit of $1.5 million. I mentioned "The Time Machine" in a previous posting. "Atlantis" was less successful, as negative costs were greater ($1.3 million), and though it achieved $1.4 domestic, and $1.5 foreign rentals (for a worldwide $3.0), it actually came up showing a loss ($83,000)."The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm" was indeed grim on the year-end balance sheets, as it cost a whopping $6.1, which was hard to get back with $4.7 domestic, $3.7 foreign ($8.4 worldwide cume). Final loss was $1.8 million. "The Power" went into the tank with $1.7 negative cost, $352,000 domestic, $468,000 foreign (worldwide $820,000). There was $822,000 in red ink for that one. Bear in mind that it wasn't enough for these pictures to merely get back their negative costs. Distribution, prints, and advertising were a major expense that had to be taken into account in the final tally. By the 1960's, those costs could be ruinous.