Now here’s an interesting concept. Assuming part of why you frequent TheOneRing.net is interest in the LOTR/Hobbit movies, would you have paid to see them on opening night – at home? Some of you may already be aware of the proposed ‘Screening Room’ offering from this article at deadline.com in March. More recently, deadline reports that Sir Peter Jackson has enthusiastically jumped on the bandwagon in support of Screening Room, joining a number of other directors, including Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams.
Conceptually, Screening Room would be available to consumers who purchase a customized set-top box for $150, then pay $50 per first run movie for a pre-determined viewing period, of say, 48 hours. Considering the hefty price of movie tickets these days, particularly for a family of more than two, $50 a pop could be a pretty attractive and, ultimately economical, alternative.
From the deadline article: “ Jackson is so convinced that Screening Room will help exhibitors and studios rake in a windfall that could exceed $10 billion — by engaging 25- to 39-year-old customers who’ve almost completely bypassed cinemas — that he is the first major filmmaker to go public with a detailed rationale, with the blessing of the Screening Room brain trust that put several years into the anti-piracy technology and other R&D in the prototype set-top boxes.”
According to polls cited in the article, cinemas wouldn’t suffer because the target audience of 25- to 30-year old consumers doesn’t currently frequent cinemas, and people of all ages who do indicated that they wouldn’t reduce their movie-going frequency because they like the ‘big screen’ experience.
Of course, some streaming services already offer ‘new release’ movies, but there is the obligatory waiting period of several weeks, or longer. This would be the ‘real deal,’ opening night experience. What say you? Is it time to start juggling the budget to possibly subscribe to such a service? Or, are you a die-hard, big-screen, digital sound, popcorn and drink-of-your-choice fan? Read the full, very extensive and informative deadline article here.
