If you've watched The Social Network, then you know who Sean Parker is. Right? Yeah, he's Justin Timberlake. Well, the real life Sean Parker (not Justin Timberlake) who originally founded Napster way back when dial up was a way of life, has an idea called The Screening Room. In a nutshell, the idea allows you to purchase a box that allows you to rent (at a premium) a movie and watch it in the comfort of your own home. The kicker is that the the movies you "rent" are released the same day in actual cinemas.
Much of Hollywood, surprisingly have come out in support of Parker's idea, including the likes of Steven Spielberg and J.J.Abrams. Now though, James Cameron and Jon Landau have weighed in with their opinions. Landau says "Both Jim and I remain committed to the sanctity of the in-theater experience. For us, from both a creative and financial standpoint, it is essential for movies to be offered exclusively in theaters for their initial release. We don’t understand why the industry would want to provide audiences an incentive to skip the best form to experience the art that we work so hard to create. To us, the in-theater experience is the wellspring that drives our entire business, regardless of what other platforms we eventually play on and should eventually play on. No one is against playing in the home, but there is a sequencing of events that leads to it.”
At $50 per movie, Parker's idea isn't cheap and it's not a first either. The likes of Prima Cinema have been offering a similar setup, however, last time I checked they were charging $500 per movie.
These days, many movie fans much prefer their couch as opposed to local cinema seat. High theatre prices for tickets and especially food have been crippling audiences for a while now, but would you pay $50 to watch a movie at home on your shitty 42" plasma? If you'd settle for that kind of thing, I'd imagine you're the same person that would download a shitty cam job off the internet and watch that on your 42" as well.
Ultimately though, going to the movies is an experience and Cameron and Landau do have a point. While it's not up to them to decide when a movie should be viewable in the home, there is no beating a giant screen and decent sound system. I wonder if many cinema owners and chains spent more time investing in the actual movie going experience, such as audio, visual, comfort and especially value for money, would Sean Parker's proposal be getting as much support?
Much of Hollywood, surprisingly have come out in support of Parker's idea, including the likes of Steven Spielberg and J.J.Abrams. Now though, James Cameron and Jon Landau have weighed in with their opinions. Landau says "Both Jim and I remain committed to the sanctity of the in-theater experience. For us, from both a creative and financial standpoint, it is essential for movies to be offered exclusively in theaters for their initial release. We don’t understand why the industry would want to provide audiences an incentive to skip the best form to experience the art that we work so hard to create. To us, the in-theater experience is the wellspring that drives our entire business, regardless of what other platforms we eventually play on and should eventually play on. No one is against playing in the home, but there is a sequencing of events that leads to it.”
At $50 per movie, Parker's idea isn't cheap and it's not a first either. The likes of Prima Cinema have been offering a similar setup, however, last time I checked they were charging $500 per movie.
These days, many movie fans much prefer their couch as opposed to local cinema seat. High theatre prices for tickets and especially food have been crippling audiences for a while now, but would you pay $50 to watch a movie at home on your shitty 42" plasma? If you'd settle for that kind of thing, I'd imagine you're the same person that would download a shitty cam job off the internet and watch that on your 42" as well.
Ultimately though, going to the movies is an experience and Cameron and Landau do have a point. While it's not up to them to decide when a movie should be viewable in the home, there is no beating a giant screen and decent sound system. I wonder if many cinema owners and chains spent more time investing in the actual movie going experience, such as audio, visual, comfort and especially value for money, would Sean Parker's proposal be getting as much support?
