When the stars align and you've been blessed with a great theater, a wonderful crowd, and a picture-perfect screen, it's pretty damn hard to top that; unfortunately, more often than not it seems, there are a variety of factors which can disrupt that perfect (and expensive) evening. If you're tired of terrible theater patrons, sticky floors, projector issues which go uncorrected, and have money to burn, perhaps Sean Parker's Screening Room is the choice for you.
Earlier this week, Sean Parker, of Napster & Facebook fame, announced plans for a new venture called Screening Room which will give movie fans the opportunity to screen movies at home at the same time they open in theaters for a premium price. Screening Room also has some powerful supporters, as Variety claims that Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, J.J. Abrams, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and others are backing the new company. Only several of them have actually invested their cold hard cash, but Variety says that all are shareholders in the new start-up.
How does Screening Room work? Well, say you'd like to watch BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE later this month but want to avoid the crowds, with Screening Room you'd throw down $50 dollars and you'd be able to watch the film in the comfort of your own home. As studios are naturally worried about piracy, customers of Screening Room would also initially be charged $150 for access to the anti-piracy equipped box which transmits the films. Once a film has been purchased you'd have 48 hours to watch it, and Screening Room is hoping to "capture an audience older than teens and young adults, who might have responsibilities such as children that prevent them from going to the theater."
There have been attempts at similar services in the past, but they've always been shut down due to pressure from theater chains. Screening Room is looking to circumvent this by offering chains as much as $20 out of that $50 fee. Customers who pay the $50 will also receive two free tickets for the film at a cinema of their choice, which will give exhibitors the added benefit of profiting from concession sales to those customers. Screening Room is an interesting idea for sure and could actually prove to be the cheaper alternative for those of you with large families, all that theater popcorn does add up after all.
What do you think of Screening Room, is it something you'd be interested in?
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