

5 Ways to Redesign the Movie Theater Experience. - cbetta
http://fourstarters.com/2007/09/12/5-ways-to-redesign-the-movie-going-experience/

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pg
How about: don't run ads (except trailers) before films. It is so obnoxious to
be forced to sit through an ad before something you're paying for. Especially
in a theater. If an ad on TV bothers you, you can turn off the sound or go
into the next room. If an ad in a newspaper or magazine bothers you, you can
cover it or turn the page. But an ad in a theater you are getting shoved in
your face no matter what.

Ads have a cost. People who think they can keep sticking more and more ads on
things don't realize that they're gradually making whatever it is less
attractive. But eventually you cross a line.

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far33d
The studios and theater owners punish the people who don't pirate films the
most.

If you pay full price for a theater movie you have to sit through 15 minutes
of ads and trailers.

If you pay full price for a DVD, you have to sit through the trailers (which
you often can't fast forward) and a bunch of annoying FBI messages.

If you pirate the film, you see exactly what you want - a movie.

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danw
I'm interested in the advances digital cinema projection can bring. Smaller
cinemas (20-50 seats) for on demand viewing of a catalog of 1,000s of films.
Simply select what you want and go watch it in comfy seats with food served to
your seats. Whilst your watching the 15 mins of trailers any other people can
choose to also come watch the film. Then on the way out pick up a copy of the
DVD..

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rzwitserloot
Definitely. The economics of the thing are actually really nonsensical. A
"home cinema system" of any serious quality is, at least for now, at least a
thousand bucks. That buys a lotta movie tickets.

Just figured out a sixth point: re-run famous movies of yore. It's almost 100%
profit on the ticket, as I understand it, and with the comfy seat + some sort
of pre-movie kickoff drink, you attract fellow fans of said movie (cult movies
are a plus), and you make more money on the sales.

I'd SO go to those for the movies I got in my all time top 10 list.

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ibsulon
In Tucson, there are multiple theatres (art houses, mostly) that do this. They
usually get a good showing. (I remember a midnight showing of beatlejuice that
was great fun. In fact, a large group of us sat on the floor before and played
duck duck goose...)

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rzwitserloot
There you go. The business model sells itself purely on the idea but for the
doubters in the audience there's practical proof to be found.

As I said in the article, art houses are exempt from the 'WTF is wrong with
you???!???' nature of the rant. They pull creative stunts all the time.
Probably because those aren't run by an oligargic chain of idiots.

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nickb
> 3\. Breaks are good

Uhmmm... no they're not! Movies are quite long as it is, last thing I need is
to break a story and spend extra 15min at the theater.

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cbetta
Weird how everyone is commenting here, and not on our blog ;) Common thing for
news.ycomb.com?

