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I think they are testing the limits here. There is certainly a point beyond which the "willingness to pay" disappears and the movie becomes financially non-viable.

They could perhaps accept pre-orders to judge this and then introduce special deals, tie-ins, etc. to sweeten the deal if needed.


That's the thing. These are not normal times so "Mulan on Streaming" is not competing with "Mulan in the cinema" or any other movie in the cinema. You either watch it or you don't.

This movie is targeted at tweens/teens and the FOMO effect will be big. So if you have a tween in the house that wants to see the movie, you will pay those 30$. Not to mention the tweens who will be more than willing to shell out their own pocket money for it.

This is not a mass-market price.


It is a mass-market price because, as said, people are willing to pay that to watch new movies, but in cinemas.

The question is whether people are willing to pay the same or a bit less (of course I'm thinking in terms of US/Western Europe prices) to watch new movies at home rather than in cinemas.

At the moment perhaps, but in general I am not sure because I think people go to cinemas not only for the movie but for the whole experience.

But I'm sure that the cunning people of Disney have factored the fact that these are not normal times in the pricing of this specific movie at this specific moment in time, and they'll see how it goes.


One side effect could be more Corona cases.

Families could group together (A rents the movie, B provide a big screen, C brings the popcorn). That would lower the cost and increase the “experience” part.


Here in the UK it is currently illegal to invite people at home and people are welcome to call the police if they see a neighbour do just that.

At some point if governments do not put restrictions in place and enforce them, and if people cannot be bothered to follow them or to be reasonable then there is little we can do...


I feel like I missed something big


It's from the 1998 release of Mulan. McDonald's included a special szechuan sauce with their Happy Meals as part of the release. https://mcdonalds.fandom.com/wiki/Szechuan_Sauce



What a missed opportunity! This would have gone viral. "Special edition Szechuan sauce packets with every rental"


Why is this so hard? But also, why doesn't JPMC implement webhooks? Webhooks will solve half the problem.


I don't think the tide has turned yet. It's slowly turning, but it will take a couple of years and some more major incidents.

When people are willing to pay more for privacy focused products, then we'll know that the tide has turned.


> When people are willing to pay more for privacy focused products, then we'll know that the tide has turned.

Or when politicians realize that people care and start including stricter laws as part of their electoral campaigns. Privacy shouldn't have to come at a cost.


Or when this data is used against a politician in a campaign, so they start caring.


I don't think a few incidents would turn the tide over. Literally all of every American's personal information is out there. It's really just a question of targeting.

Decentralization seems like the only good outcome for privacy but it seems unlikely. Privacy has a monetary value and the simple fact is that most people are willing to trade it for very little.

The move for decentralization seems dwindling but I have hope. If companies become the target of sophisticated cyber attacks, there will emerge an economic opportunity for decentralization.


There are ways. I'm working on one right now! It's not easy and go to market will take a looong time so I'm keeping my day job but I believe it's a problem worth solving.


> It's not easy and go to market will take a looong time so I'm keeping my day job but I believe it's a problem worth solving.

Is your solution technical, or do you also have a solution for the fact that it's a service banks have no incentive to offer? (And incentives not to)


Can't control via Alexa or Google home without going to the cloud.


Turn on the heating/cooling on your way home from work.

Energising white light in the morning, soft warm lighting in the evening.

Shutters that close when the sun hits them in the summer to reduce the AC bill.

Turn on the dehumidifier if the humidity > 60%

So so many applications. Granted most of this is "nice to have" but this is also why it's not a big deal if it goes down every once in a while.


> Turn on the dehumidifier if the humidity > 60%

Humidifiers with humidity sensors are not “smart” anymore than a furnace hooked up to a thermostat. I got one in 1987 or so.


All of these things can be done without internet connectivity.


Eh. Depends on how mission critical it is. I don't mind an appliance needing the internet as long as I can still physically operate it during downtime.


I did, and that's exactly why I felt the need to ask, since there doesn't seem to be a proper definition.

It also depends on the context, as is explained in the example given for the usage of few.


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