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Slashdot Asks: Would You Like Early Access To Movies And Stop Going To Theatres?
It appears many major stakeholders in the movie industry want to bring new titles to you within days, if not hours, as they hit cinemas. Earlier this year, we learned that Sean Parker is working on a service called "Screening Room", an idea that was reportedly backed by Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams, to bring movies on the same day as they show up in theaters. Apple seems interested as well. It is reportedly in talks with Hollywood studios to get iTunes rentals of movies that are still playing on the big screen. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that several studios are exploring the idea of renting new movies for $25 to $50 just two weeks after they have hit cinemas.
None of such deals have materialized yet, of course, and also it needs to be pointed out that several movie companies have discarded these ideas before because they know that by offering you new titles so early they are going to lose on all the overpriced cold drinks, and snacks they sell you at the theatre. There's also piracy concerns. If a movie is available early, regardless of the DRM tech these companies deploy, good-enough footage of the movies will crop up on file-sharing websites almost immediately.
But leaving all those aspects aside, would you be interested in getting new titles just hours or a week or two after they hit the cinemas? Would you want to end the decades-long practice of going to a theater?
None of such deals have materialized yet, of course, and also it needs to be pointed out that several movie companies have discarded these ideas before because they know that by offering you new titles so early they are going to lose on all the overpriced cold drinks, and snacks they sell you at the theatre. There's also piracy concerns. If a movie is available early, regardless of the DRM tech these companies deploy, good-enough footage of the movies will crop up on file-sharing websites almost immediately.
But leaving all those aspects aside, would you be interested in getting new titles just hours or a week or two after they hit the cinemas? Would you want to end the decades-long practice of going to a theater?
As would I. I actually prefer the theater experience, providing you don't have a theater full of assholes. When I went to The Force Awakens last year on its opening day, that old communal experience I remember from theaters when I was a kid came back. There was cheering and clapping when the Star Wars theme played and in general it really was a wonderful experience. My experience with Deadpool was even better, as people laughed at the jokes through the whole thing. And there's the big screen, which I really do love. Can't reproduce that at home.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
$25 is ok... $50 is way too much.
If they included a copy of the Bluray or movie download when released for sale, it might be worth it. But not for a rental. For a rental I would be willing to pay no more than the movie theater price, about $10 to $15.
Thats why they're doing this. The internet has destroyed the movie industry but its not because of piracy.
A few decades ago it took a week or two for most of the public to find out if a movie was bad.
These days people can tweet and rate movies on IMDB & Rotten Tomatoes within minutes of leaving the cinema.
No amount of bought reviews and media hype will work once enough people know its a turd.
They just want more people to see movies before finding out how bad they are.
I am a free slashdotter. I will not be modded, blogged, DRM'd, patented, podcasted or RFID'd. My life is my own.
Really?
Revenue at the 2015 global box office crossed $38 billion for the first time in history, surpassing last year's record $36.7 billion.
That includes an unprecedented $11 billion-plus in North America, up 6.3 percent from last year's dismal $10.35 billion
By the end of 2017, China is expected to surpass North America and become the largest movie market in the world. http://www.hollywoodreporter.c...
So no the movie industry has not been destroyed by the internet. No even close. Time to take you head out of your ass.
Your excuses are terribly lame. The mail is trivial to use. A disk player is trivial to use. Your whining about wires is also lame.
If you aren't willing to plug something into your TV, then you have to be content with "smart TV" features that suck or broadcast TV.
But if you insist on depriving yourself, that's your own problem.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
...Last night I looked for The Lobster and found it was only on DVD...
Pondering of the relative merits of early vs. late release timing when the current situation is there is no release at all is moot.
Just because you've elected to move past DVDs doesn't mean there is "no release at all." It means you can't figure out how to take advantage of the release that is readily available. Just because the industry hasn't decided to adapt to your standard yet doesn't mean they're somehow trying to keep the movie from you.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.