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Movie Theaters Haven't Innovated Beyond Popcorn, Says Netflix CEO (variety.com)
Janko Roettgers, reporting for Variety: Asked about his company's relationship with major theater chains, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings didn't pull any punches on Thursday. "How did distribution innovate in the movie business in the last 30 years? Well, the popcorn tastes better, but that's about it," he quipped. "What Netflix wants to do is to unleash film," he said. "It's fundamentally about growing the movie business." [...] On Thursday, Hastings pushed back against the notion that the company aims to bypass theaters. "We are not anti theater," he said. "We just want things to come out at the same time."
That, coupled with streamed or local content (discs) and I am good to go.
It now cost $35 per person for ticket and popcorn to see a late night movie.
Now, I know that when it first came out, the digital theater systems tended to "blue screen of death" too often, but please.
I don't remember what popcorn tasted like 30 years ago, but it doesn't taste that great nowadays so maybe Netflix could do something about that as well.
was sitting on a log in a rainforest watching The Neverending Story projected on a bed sheet.
Maybe they could try that.
No one in their right fucking mind is going to pay $10 for a popcorn, $7 for a soda, and $15 for a movie ticket PER PERSON if they can watch that shit at home with their whole family for a small fee. OF COURSE that would put theaters out of business.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
There are certain kinds of people that like to shout out loud, at the actors in the theater. There are those who like to talk amongst themselves whilst watching a movie, occasionally conducting a kind of running commentary on the movie while they are watching it
I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. But maybe if movies came out in theaters and netflix on day one, all those people could watch it together at home and i can enjoy the movie at the theater in peace, or vise versa.
1. 3D
2. Better sound and video (I remember some movies being limited to complaint movie theaters)
3. Chairs (reclining)
4. More previews (and annoying pre-screening stuff)
5. Online ticket purchases
"Shunned by major theater chains, Netflix last fall struck a deal with iPic Entertainment, a small chain with 15 theaters."
How long until MPAA finds some excuse to cut off iPic Entertainment from mainstream distribution?
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I can't stand going to general admission shows since I first tried it a couple of years back now. Reserved seating for the movie, in-seat menu service for meals or concession before the movie starts, wider and more comfortable seats than GA, and with a bit more legroom to boot. Tickets are a bit more than GA, but man are they worth it!
Gonna go see Disney's classic tale of Stockholm syndrome tomorrow afternoon with my wife in a VIP lounge....and there won't be any screaming kids. I heartily recommend it if you are willing to shell out the extra couple of bucks per ticket for an improved theater experience.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Theater innovations since the late 1980s:
* More IMAX/OMNI screens
* More stadium seating
* Buy tickets online or at a kiosk
* More special screenings for people with autism or other special needs
* More regular screenings of foreign or art films in "regular" movie-houses
* More (or maybe better advertised) "events" like the Doctor Who events and MST3K events in the last few years
* Movie-theater gift cards
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
[snip]....Digital movies are projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector. Digital cinema is distinct from high-definition television and is not dependent on using television or high-definition video standards, aspect ratios, or frame rates. In digital cinema, resolutions are represented by the horizontal pixel count, usually 2K (2048×1080 or 2.2 megapixels) or 4K (4096×2160 or 8.8 megapixels). As digital cinema technology improved in the early 2010s, most of the theaters across the world converted to digital. [snip]
"What Netflix wants to do is to unleash film," he said. "It's fundamentally about growing the movie business."
How magnanimous. And here I believed they just wanted to make a lot of money.
So I'll be waiting for my free netflix account, since all they want is to "grow the movie business".
Good lord: You sell entertainment. Don't pretend like you're healing lepers.
Considering Netflix rarely gets any new movies anymore, one thing movie theaters have that Netflix doesn't is new movies.
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
The only thing it didn't do - it didn't die. All in all it has evolved into DVD/HD etc. Next evolutionary step will be VR experience in movies or even interactive movies. But hey, Cinema has it's niche. Some people prefer bicycle over motorbike and for many good reasons.
Netflix is missing the point. While admittedly, movie theaters haven't done anything revolutionary for a while, they have steadily updated the picture and audio quality. These two things are the reason I continue to go to theaters instead of watch on my home theater.
Not true. In my city in the US, theaters have introduced at-seat table service and reserved seating. The former is nice to have but the latter is transformative. No queues, no racing for seats, no getting stuck in lousy seats or separated from your friends. Contrary to Netflix's self-interest, there are still films that benefit from being viewed in a movie theater, and reserved seating completely removes any tension or unknowns from the experience.
What about digital distribution of digital content displayed via huge digital display systems?
It basically looks just the same as that from a film. It might save the cinema money but it does nothing for the customer. There is pseudo-3D I suppose but that shrinks the screen and gives many people a splitting headache after a few minutes. So I suppose the criterion should be innovation that is good for the customer.
From a movie-watcher's point of view, there is very little difference between a digital theater and a brand-new 70mm print on its first trip through the projector.
From a theater-owner's perspective and from the distribution-channel's perspective, there are huge differences.
So, I guess it's a difference in distribution but not one most consumers will notice, except that they may notice the lack of streaks on the screen.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
For me, it's that they aren't as cost-effective as entertainment as they used to be.
If movies were $1 each I'd see dozens a year. As it is, I see only a few a year in the theater.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Going to the movies, use to be about watching something on a HUGE screen, with a LOT of sound. Other than a 10-15 foot tall screen, you can still have a 40-50-60 inch screen, with a lot of sound for an inexpensive price, enjoy the movie in your own home, eat your own snacks. Taking a "typical" family of 4 to the movies these days, can, in places, run around 100 bucks by the time you figure in the gas, tickets, snacks. Plus, considering the movies released these days, are reboots, or part 5,6,7 of something, there isn't a lot of movies, for me anyway, that I want to spend a lot of money on.
I'm not asking for the asstes to be made available for free, just available like assets in the Unity asset store. I know that asset flippers have been getting a lot of attention and making the whole notion seem like a bad thing, but that is something that needs study.
We had a theater that cost less or the same for most shows that had tables and food. Alamo Drafthouse Theaters are popular for serving beer.
I'd say our local theater has started doing a lot of 'innovative' things compared to how I remember theaters growing up.
Our local theater has started serving beer as well.
For 9PM and later shows rated R movies are no one under 17. With or without a parent.
They have early morning AM shows for kids.
They have shows with lower volume and higher house lights for autistic kids that are sensitive to the dark and loud noises. So they can get out and socialize.
They replay old movies all the time and will have a "Back to the Future" or similar Marathons.
They darn well innovated the 'plush' theaters.
More like re-invented them.
Ever been to a classic theater from before WWII?
Some of those are very ornate and very classy, on par with a classy stage-play theater or concert hall, except the acoustics generally aren't as good as a concert hall. Many of them are now used for stage plays or other events instead of film.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Why don't movie theaters do merchandising?
When people are done seeing a movie, there should be a shop that sells copies of the soundtrack, copies of the other movies in the franchise, related toys (as appropriate), etc. They could even sell the Blu-Ray of the movie you just saw (whether restricted sales to movie-goers, sold to anyone, or pre-sold with day-of-release delivery).
There is so much in the way of movie merchandising, and the theaters seem to completely miss it. Even if they're contractually locked out (which is stupid), they could lease a separate store adjacent to the theater that sells movie merchandise. (Perhaps I should start that chain--too bad I already have a good job.)
Brazier/brassiere.
One is for holding up boobies, the other is something workmen warm their hands on.
You can see how confusion arises...
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
A woman running a small business in NYC making dresses invented the Brazier so her dresses would look better on her customers.
The word you're looking for is "brassiere". A "brazier" is a cooking device. And yeah, I know what you meant; context and all that. I'm just one of the shrinking number of literates that find this sort of thing jarring and distracting. Not as annoying as someone using a smartphone in a theatre, but see below. Don't fret though; eventually we'll all die out.
Personally I enjoy going to see the occasional film in a movie theatre. We have a very nice television and comfortable couches, but it's nice to get out of the house once in a while for something other than "must do" errands and dinners out. Our local place has reserved seating in a nice, clean auditorium with very comfortable reclining chairs equipped with cupholders. And we haven't been disturbed by inconsiderate moviegoers in a long, long time.
In Michigan we have theaters called E-Magine. Awful name, outstanding theaters. All of the theaters themselves are fairly small, which means you aren't sitting too far away from the screen. The screen stretches from wall to wall, and they are all dimensioned properly. All of the seats are motorized extra-wide recliners. For a couple of extra dollars you can sit in a row with more leg room than you could possibly need. All the screens, projectors and speakers are properly maintained. They also have reserved seating so you can pick your seats hours before you show up to the theater. Most theaters also have waiter service, so you can just sit down and they'll bring you a drink and popcorn, including liquor, before the movie starts.
They also have special matinee showings for kids with sensory issues, so no trailers, they keep the lights on dimly, and turn the sound down, which is fantastic.
Ticket prices are, of course, a bit more than regular, but we don't see many movies so it doesn't matter that much to us.
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
Plenty of innovations beyond "popcorn" fools. Go to an Alamo Drafthouse or similar. Order some adult beverages, food, have it delivered to you, and watch the idiots with their cellphones get kicked out.
Don't recall movie theaters doing this when I was younger.
Whoops! Lol yeah sorry about that.
Our local theatre introduced a "Gold Class" theatre. 40 seats in total, all recliners. Full service selected up front from the menu at the bar and you could tell them when to bring your food in (a beer every 10 minutes is always a safe choice). Best of all, adults only. No one ever threw popcorn or talked in that theatre.
People do enjoy watching first run movies and live sports in a crowd where the reaction of the spectators is part of the entertainment, and a source of stories aftewards.
And that is why I dont go to the movies. Having to deal with stupid crowd reactions during a first run movie is not something I want or enjoy, at most it would be a story afterwards about how annoying it was
this
we went to do our usual christmas eve movie. The only option was a theater that was basically a 40 seater with recliners and reserved seating. Ticket price was still the same.
They've finally started to realize that was people want is to just watch movies at home, and so they are just trying to replicate that experience. This is why I never go to the theaters unless prodded by friends, otherwise my own home theater setup provides a much better experience
Any appearance that I might have been suggesting that *I* was somehow more important than anyone else because I go to such lounges is a misinterpretation on your part, since I was only referring to the term "VIP" as it applies to what they happen name their lounges.
Also, they can't turn all theaters into such lounges because minors are prohibited from them, primarily by virtue of the fact that they serve alcohol.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
My theatre (Cineplex, in Canada) hosts video game finals.
WorldGaming.com, my old customer, is now part of the Cineplex chain.
There's nothing like a theatre full of gamers cheering their heroes on!
I'm a motocrossman, myself, but these folks are serious
davecb@spamcop.net
"How did distribution innovate in the movie business in the last 30 years?"
Umm, I don't know, how about getting rid of film and adopting the Digital Cinema System Specification?
1998 was the first public demo of a digital cinema projector. As of 3 May 2016, 98.2% of the world's cinema screens are now digitized, likely saving $1 billion in distribution costs.
Netflix was quite innovative in their CDN. If you haven't worked "at scale" before: every time you add a 0 to the end of your user base, there's a whole new set of lessons to learn. Netflix is the single biggest source of web traffic (by bytes) on the internet. Getting there required innovation.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
They also open source their software, which is interesting. Somewhat their hardware as well. I've learned quite a bit about building scaling web sites from watching what they do. Vastly smaller scale, obviously. Still very educational.
It basically looks just the same as that from a film.
You must be too young to remember film, or too senile to remember it. Scratches and dust on film was very noticeable, and became more annoying the longer a film was in use. It's been a while since I've seen a digital projector glitch, but I remember film getting stuck and melting somewhat frequently. And don't forget the projectionist getting the reels mixed up.
Yes, from engineers on a project doing regular coding work....but that's not what I'm talking about.
"innovation" is such a misused and over-broad term these days....
Netflix's concept is not "innovative" from a startup perspective.
Everyone in the world thought it would be cool to watch movies over the internet...the only problem was copyright holders.
Thank you Dave Raggett
Netflix did little more than that until they started making their own content a few years ago.
And they suck at it. Most of Netflix original content is garbage. Meanwhile, almost every single series made by Amazon Prime is fantastic (Hand of God, Goliath, Man in high castle, Patriot, etc). The day Amazon can make streaming as smooth as Netflix, there's no more Netflix.
lucm, indeed.
Not true - a few years back they innovated by employing Gestapo tactics against anyone not in possession of a photographic memory, seeking to augment with the help of a video recording device.
Pushing - the - envelope!
Requiem for the American Dream
We have a relatively local Indy single-screen cinema in art deco style with reservable sofas-for-two at no extra cost.
Requiem for the American Dream
You clearly haven't watched any of Amazon's original comedies. Talk about your steaming piles of garbage.
Pretty much. I always shake my head at people who tell these stories as if they were the best thing ever, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from groaning and saying something nasty when they get to the part where "and the whole theater applauded when the credits rolled." No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! The movie is not a theater production, and unless you're at a premiere with the cast and crew, no one in that movie cares that you applauded for them.
Give me a DVD or streaming version and I'll watch the movie and appreciate it, I might even post on social media about it. But I'm not going to be a dumbass and applaud.
Netflix's concept is not "innovative" from a startup perspective.
So ... they don't defraud VCs out of their money?
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Tumeric is a very good addition IMHO. In small amounts it makes everything bright yellow without changing the taste at all and in larger amounts it adds a slightly bitter taste that goes well with garlic and salt.
I think those days are long gone.
no, the concept of what defines "innovation" is so ruined by hype and nonsense it is hurting our industry
Thank you Dave Raggett
Pretty much
Eh. I think you're an unusual case. Most people seem to like a crowded cinema when the uadience responds to the film. But yeah, if you hate the audience, it's probably best you stay at home.
The movie is not a theater production, and unless you're at a premiere with the cast and crew, no one in that movie cares that you applauded for them.
What about the piano player? Doesn't he deserve some applause?
SJW n. One who posts facts.
I'm definitely not an unusual case for the readership here at /. I'm wondering if you're in the right place?
If I ever get to see a silent movie with a live piano player, I will absolutely applaud for them after the show.
hi watch that Celine dion horrified whilst ellen tells her to rap
Over the holidays I took family to the iPic Theater here in Houston for a screening of Rogue One. They have some really innovative seating pods - pairs of recliners share a table, and have a short sound proofing wall wrapped around them to help cut down on noise from other patrons.
I posted some photos of them at the end of this blog entry - Two million pounds of ice on a subtropical island!
What's gotten me back into the theaters is that a Movie Tavern nearby about a year ago. Reserved seats, comfy large leather recliners in a stadium seating arrangement, lots of legroom, waiter service to your chair with meals, snacks, beverages, beer and wine - and a button at your chair you can push to summon your waiter back for more beer. Prices are not much higher than most theaters, the food is Applebees price and quality and the beer is cheaper than the popcorn.
I like Netflix, but they have too many 2nd rate movies that barely made it to the big screen.
I'm definitely not an unusual case for the readership here at /. I'm wondering if you're in the right place?
No one likes douchey members of the audience. For not liking legit audience reaction, I think you are in a minority here.
If I ever get to see a silent movie with a live piano player,
Only an option in a very big city, but they do exist. I've seen a few now.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Innovation is what engineers do when they create real products that reach many people. Ideas are easy, and an idea that no one turns into a product is worthless.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
that definition is entirely too broad and doesn't address the question were discussing
Thank you Dave Raggett
I think you're trying for some sort of private narrow definition,but, sorry, can't guess what it is.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
I you haven't figured out how to slip your hands into a brasserie to warm them up, you are really missing out. I warn you though, there's a significant amount of trial and error, grievous error, involved in figuring it out.
a brasserie
No thanks, I just ate.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Sweet jesus, it's the typo that just keeps on giving. Thank god braised feelings don't kill.