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Piracy Television Entertainment

James Cameron: Theater Experience Key To Containing Piracy (torrentfreak.com) 331

Posted by msmash from the battle-against-piracy dept.
Director James Cameron says that the key to containing movie piracy is preserving the theater experience as something special. He made the remarks when reporters asked him about his views on Sean Parker's upcoming streaming service Screening Room which will reportedly allow users to watch a new movie on the same day as its theatre release. From a TorrentFreak article: Cameron believes that having first-run movies in the home will stop people heading off to the cinema, the place where filmmakers can really showcase their art and take the fight to piracy. "The biggest hedge against piracy is still the sanctity of the viewing experience in a movie theater -- when it comes to movies," he says. "With The Walking Dead or something like that, that's not what you're selling, but if we're talking about movies and theatrical exhibition, keeping it great, making it a special experience, is still the biggest hedge against [piracy]." Interestingly, Cameron also says that even if piracy somehow became legal and download speeds were drastically improved, viewing content outside the theatrical setting would still come up short. "You're still watching [movies] on a small platform, and it's not that social experience," he explains.
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James Cameron: Theater Experience Key To Containing Piracy More

James Cameron: Theater Experience Key To Containing Piracy

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  • The Theater Experience (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:43PM (#52592233)

    How will screaming kids, sticky floors and overpriced snacks help them stop piracy?

    • Re:The Theater Experience (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Calydor ( 739835 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:46PM (#52592277)

      Not to mention cell phones beeping and flashing everywhere.

      • Even before I read the summary, I wondered, "Gee, how will a Slashdot crowd of aging anti-social types react to this story?"

        Lots of people still go to the movies. $60 million in just one weekend for Star Trek alone? Someone is buying tickets. Just not anyone that frequents this site.

        • I just saw Star Trek because my kids begged me... it was the first time I have been to a movie theatre in a couple years. The concessions have only got more expensive in this time. I paid extra money for 'IMAX 3D' yet found myself noticing that the picture was almost blurry and was definitely not high resolution in any sense. Also the sound in the theatre didn't even beat my old entertainment system I have at home. I told myself the next time I went to a movie would definitely not be for a long time. I

        • Lots of people still go to the movies. $60 million in just one weekend for Star Trek alone? Someone is buying tickets. Just not anyone that frequents this site.

          "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."
          -- H. L. Mencken

        • Re:The Theater Experience (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Calydor ( 739835 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @03:32PM (#52592953)

          So let me get this straight.

          I complain about people showing an absolute disregard for the comfort, expense and attention of the people around them, and you call ME the anti social one?

          • Re:The Theater Experience (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Deadstick ( 535032 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @04:31PM (#52593705)

            This. Attributes of my den:
            Comfortable seat.
            No loudmouths.
            Feet don't stick to the floor.
            Pause button.
            Clean bathroom.
            Fast-forward button for the trailers.
            Movie starts whenever I damn well please.
            Food at grocery store prices.
            Liquor.
            If the movie turns out to be crap, I can abandon it without spoiling my wife's enjoyment.
            Attributes of a theater:
            Big screen.

            • You forgot the two killer feature for me:

              * Option to turn on sub-titles

              I like to *read* the characters names so I know how to spell & pronounce them instead of playing a guessing game just because there is too much foreground / background music to clearly hear the dialogue.

              I also like to watch movies in their original language with English sub-titles. It adds to the "authenticity" experience.

              * Volume Control

              I can turn my sub up / down as needed.

        • Attendance has been steadily declining over the past 15 years, even as sales have been increasing. This means fewer people are paying more. Where I live, more cinemas than not have full bars, prepared food, and comfy, reclining seats. Eventually, with the possible exception of less population-dense areas, this is what the theater experience will be going forward, and cell-phone using, popcorn-gobbling, soda-swilling teeny boppers will be relegated to watching movies at home on their XBox Two (or on a pho

    • Yes! Sticky floors and the stench of stale popcorn goo are key to the theater experience!

    • How will screaming kids, sticky floors and overpriced snacks help them stop piracy?

      The theater/cinema experience is just too horrible. To make it less horrible they will have to:
      Stop selling popcorn and pop at the theaters.
      Use cellphone jammers.
      Have people who talk forcibly silenced.
      Refuse entry to children.

      No, this is not going to work out. Cinemas are dead.

      • Do you all live in Detroit or something? My local fleapit's nothing to write home about, but it sounds like Disneyland compared to y'alls.
      • I agree with #2 and #3. But, you could actually clean up the theaters in between showings, and that would take care of #1. #4 is silly; why wouldn't children be expected to be as quiet in a theater as the adults? Unless you're going to G-rated movies, but in that case, you get what you get.

      • Re:The Theater Experience (Score:5, Interesting)

        by TechyImmigrant ( 175943 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @03:13PM (#52592679) Homepage Journal

        How will screaming kids, sticky floors and overpriced snacks help them stop piracy?

        The theater/cinema experience is just too horrible. To make it less horrible they will have to:
        Stop selling popcorn and pop at the theaters.
        Use cellphone jammers.
        Have people who talk forcibly silenced.
        Refuse entry to children.

        No, this is not going to work out. Cinemas are dead.

        I know of three cinemas like this (except for the cell phone jamming, which is illegal) in the greater Portland area.
        They can do this because they serve alcohol and real cooked food. Children aren't allowed. The movies are geared towards a mature audience. One has a mix of tables chairs and sofa to sit in. One has more traditional cinema seats, but spaced better with an integral fold out table for your food.

        These are great. You can get dinner and watch a movie at the same time without kids, sticky soda or popcorn.

        I assume it is financially viable with the lower room capacity, because they make it up on food and drink.

      • Could always try soundproof box seating with recliners. I think I'd pay extra for that.

      • I dunno where you live, but they're already doing that in many places. Angelika Film Centers are probably the most progressive in that regard, but even many AMC theaters are following the trend toward a more adult experience.

    • Exactly,

      I have a 65inch 4K screen at home, my favorite recliner, and the ability to pause and take a piss. Why would I ever want to spend 20 bucks on popcorn and 15 bucks on a ticket to sit with the rabble and watch a movie I can't pause? Not to mention the filth, noise, and other garbage. Miss a moment? Too bad! You can't rewind! Drank that coke too fast? Well I hope you don't mind missing 5 minutes of that film. Don't worry though you can just talk over it when you get back to find out what you missed!

    • By going to a better theatre. I do. Problems solved.

      • Unfortunately I can't justify driving 70+ MPH for 2.5 hrs for a theater experience only marginally better than all the theaters locally and costing near twice as much. The only benefit is that the theater is kept to a (slightly) higher standard of clean, and the folding chairs are newer and have a bit more stuffing. If it had overstuffed leather recliners with cup-holders, plenty of foot room, a meal with the movie, intermission if the movie is longer than 1hr30 minutes to allow for bathroom breaks, and f

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Thud457 ( 234763 )
          They renovated our local 20-plex and put those leather recliners in all the theaters.
          The seats take up so much space they've effectively cut the number of seats nearly in half.
          So now, in order to actually get tickets to the movie and time we want, we have to pre-order tickets online, which is more of a hassle since the theater chain's web developers are more focused on shiny rather than functional.

          Haven't given up on them yet, but lately half the time it's "EUGH! Why bother..."

    • Yeah, I think Cameron has a case of rose-colored glasses on how great the theater going experience supposedly is. But maybe that's what theaters are like in Hollywood. That said, nine times out of ten, I do enjoy going, it's the one time out of ten that really tanks it, then there's the cost.

      I really think offering something that allows families and groups of friends to watch from home is more likely to help save the theater going experience than hurt it, provided it's not punitively priced.

    • Simple. By fixing those issues.

      Google Cinepolis for full details, but in short: leather recliner seats, actual chefs on staff to provide good food, and a full bar.

      Tickets are a few bucks more than normal, but completely worth it.

      • I love those, sadly we don't have any left in Rotterdam. But our regular cinemas are decent enough, they are clean, with pretty comfortable seats, good picture and sound, and it's pretty rare for the patrons to be actively disruptive. I make one exception: not to ever visit the cinema during Ramadan; the place will be stacked to the rafters with f'ed-up teens looking for trouble.

    • I feel mostly the same way, but to be fair, I do have to point out that there are some (not many) cinemas which are actually pretty nice to go to. They're usually called "dinner theaters"; they cater to adults only, they serve alcohol and full meals, and you sit at tables and watch the movie. You have a button you can press to summon a server. The one I went to a couple of times was run by AMC if I recall correctly.

      I also hear good things about Alamo Drafthouse, which I think is similar.

      Of course, these

    • Alamo Drafthouse.

      They server beer, kids are not allowed, and they will boot your ass out if you talk or whip out your cell phone.

    • Also it's not that hard to get a big-screen experience at home. With a digital projector and a couple of decent speakers, you can get a screen size that appears similar, BETTER sound, a nice lawn chair which is lightyears ahead of those small tightly-packed and questionably clean theatre seats, plus your selection of snacks and booze (and even other things ;-) ) AND you can pause or rewind the movie any time you like! I do this on the side of the house...only downside of my setup is vulnerability to rain! B

    • I've seen one movie since 2012 just because it costs too much compared to renting a crappy movie and isn't worth taking the time to drive there to boot. Not enough time in the week to waste on such things.

    • Not only that, but a 70 inch screen 8 feet from the sofa appears larger than all but the frontmost seats of a large theatre. And surround digital sound with decent speakers is readily available at consumer prices. Cameron is just off base about the relative quality of the big screen experience. A private Imax theatre still beats it, sure, but that's a rare beast usually involving a long commute in a big city and more often than not somebody's hairdo will be included in the visual experience. It is obvious t

    • How will screaming kids, sticky floors and overpriced snacks help them stop piracy?

      Maybe you should pick a different cinema. My favourite one in Aus was big comfy seats, alcohol brought out during the movie, and no kids allowed.
      Even now in Europe I don't notice people in the cinema. Maybe everyone around you is just a dick.

    • Re:The Theater Experience (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Man On Pink Corner ( 1089867 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @05:41PM (#52594457)

      No shit. You think James Cameron has to put up with any of those things when he goes out to the movies?

      His comments bring an entirely new degree of reality to the phrase "out of touch."

  • Wrong objective (Score:3)

    by chispito ( 1870390 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:48PM (#52592305)
    I do not think he means to contain piracy, but more to maintain profits in the face of piracy.

  • Give me free popcorn and Coke, give me front row seats, remove the schmucks that talk or text all though the movie and a front row parking spot in front of the building... I'll come. :)

    • Give me free popcorn and Coke, give me front row seats, remove the schmucks that talk or text all though the movie and a front row parking spot in front of the building... I'll come. :)

      Take away your noisy popcorn and coke that spills on the floor and makes it sticky. You'll still come? Because otherwise I'm not going.

      So its down to -1+1=0

      • You are assuming the average Slashdotter's house is "cleaner" and quieter than the average theater. ;) This is a rather dangerous assumption at best. Not that i am implying your dwelling is in such condition by any means.

        I have twin toddlers... at times I dare say, the theater is cleaner - and not for a lack of trying mind you.

  • Dear god no (Score:5, Informative)

    by Kobun ( 668169 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:49PM (#52592317)
    I don't want a movie theater to be a social experience. Consider:
    * The rotten parents who bring their too-young children to adult films.
    * That ridiculous moron in the row behind you who can't get off their cell phone for 5 minutes.
    * The 10-year old who won't stop kicking your chair.
    * The guffawing dimwit who laughs like a throat-cancer riddled donkey and does so incessantly.
    * Paying $12 bucks for crappy popcorn covered in artificially flavored cottonseed oil.
    * The gang-bangers who decided that the parking lot is a hugely entertaining place to spend some time ... people-watching (and yelling).

    I've not been to a theater film in 8 years and I've no plans on changing that.

    • I for one find myself too addicted to the crappy popcorn... must be the chemicals... as for the rest, I wait till the movie is almost done being shown in theaters so I can get into a showing with only 3 other people. As for the gang-bangers in the parking lot, the second amendment.... Ok, just avoid rush times.

      • Those chemicals are fat and salt. Your body needs calories and you evolved in a calorie-poor world. Hell, it's always calorie-poor; we expand until population exceeds our ability to scale production, and create a poor class. When we uncap this, we expand more.

        • Well then, in that case, I for one, with bulging belly, gladly welcome our new salty fat overlords!

        • Just another symptom of an economic system that pretty much rewards people for making and doing things that are bad for our population in general.

          • Sadly due to biology, there is much more money to be made in the newest flavor of potato chip than the newest crop of fresh carrots. Sellers sell what people want to buy; our bodies desire high calorie content to the point that far to many people are addicted to sugary, fatty, and salty foods. Then there's caffeine and smokes...

    • I don't want a movie theater to be a social experience. Consider:

      * The rotten parents who bring their too-young children to adult films.

      * That ridiculous moron in the row behind you who can't get off their cell phone for 5 minutes.

      * The 10-year old who won't stop kicking your chair.

      * The guffawing dimwit who laughs like a throat-cancer riddled donkey and does so incessantly.

      * Paying $12 bucks for crappy popcorn covered in artificially flavored cottonseed oil.

      * The gang-bangers who decided that the parking lot is a hugely entertaining place to spend some time ... people-watching (and yelling).

      I've not been to a theater film in 8 years and I've no plans on changing that.

      This.

      People do not go to the cinema for a social experience, they go to watch a movie.
      The social experience effectively makes the cinema a less appealing movie watching experience.
      But you can't prevent the cinema from being a social experience because you are jamming people into a cinema together.
      What? Are you going to jam people in a cinema into individual soundproof boxes?

      I doubt there is any workable solution that will make cinema worthwhile.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Jhon ( 241832 )

      "I don't want a movie theater to be a social experience"

      That was my first reaction, too -- but after giving it some thought I don't think Cameron MEANT it literally or he picked the wrong word. I think a better word would be a "community" experience. A good crowd can make a good movie great as they react to the film (laughter, cheers, etc).

      • A good crowd can make a good movie great as they react to the film (laughter, cheers, etc).

        A comedy must be seen with an audience to be fully appreciated. But, this being Slashdot, everyone probably immediately thought of how he best enjoys sci fi or fantasy: pausing every couple minutes to fact check the accuracy of the previous scene on Wikipedia.

  • He's worried! (Score:3)

    by green1 ( 322787 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:50PM (#52592339)

    Right now, many homes have theatre setups that produce a far better experience than the theatre. Big screen TVs coupled with good surround sound systems are ubiquitous, the furniture is usually more comfortable, and you place yourself in the optimal viewing position. You have full control of the volume level, the start time, and can pause for bathroom or snack breaks. You also get to chose who you share the experience with.

    The ONLY selling feature theatres have left is that impatient people can't wait, and insist on seeing it in theatre because the studios refuse to release it anywhere else until they've made their fortune in the theatre.

    If people can get the movie at home, without the ridiculously long wait, theatres are doomed.

    • "the furniture is usually more comfortable"

      and not soaked in something that I can't believe it's not butter.

    • If people can get the movie at home, without the ridiculously long wait, theatres are doomed.

      I was going to write my own posting, but you said everything I was going to say. The "Theater Experience" is something that sane people try to avoid at all costs, while at the same time replicating its positive aspects (large screen, surround sound) at home to the greatest degree possible.

      Theaters suck. Long live home video.

  • Comment removed (Score:3)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:51PM (#52592349)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Minnesota Nice.

      I mean let's face it. Everything is better in Minnesota than out east. That said the theater experience in Metro Minnesota has the ability to be not much better than your experience in Baltimore.

      • As that old Doors song goes, "the west is the best".

        MN might be better than the east coast, but things are even better farther west (though not so great if you start going south).

  • I have yet to see a recent release of a film on home video that didn't contain the phrase "Includes scenes not in the theatrical release!"

    You know, if they'd release the movie without chopping it to death so they can hold back and then re-sell the movie with added scenes for the home video release, maybe the "theater expereince" would be better.

    But I fail to see why I pay $12 per seat, followed by $30 for a water and popcorn, and then have three screaming kids in the dark, and some other jerkwad kicking my

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sims 2 ( 994794 )

      I hate it even more when they advertise a movie with scenes that aren't even in the movie.

  • The theatre experience is dying james. (Score:3)

    by shadowrat ( 1069614 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @02:54PM (#52592403)
    20 years ago it was cool. There's new things now. People get more jazzed about the experience of showing up at a pokemon gym and finding hundreds of others there.

    Pokemon, as lame as it is, is honestly a superior experience. You show up. There's a bunch of people there who you share an interest with. You can talk, or you can just leave if they annoy you. It's like all the good parts of going to a movie without the overhead of feeling trapped with these annoying people because you paid good money to be there. It also doesn't come with the risk that the movie will be crap and you'd rather just have it on in the background while you did something you want to do.

  • Theaters today either cater to those who can't afford a home theater or to those looking for something special. Theaters can offer some spacial effects that you just can't get in a home unless you have 100+ foot walls at your disposal. Theaters need to sell their sound stage, image quality, and ambiance. They are less likely to sell on price, snacks, or customer service.

    The other problem that theater face, and probably the biggest one is that the movies themselves are not enough to keep a theater in busines

    • In the 70s the theater often times had much better visual and sound quality than what people had in their homes even expensive setups, Starwars and other movies just weren't the same on vhs or with commercials as it was in the theater. Today however even a cheap home theater can rival the experience when watching those movies digitally remastered on dvd or bluray commercial free.

      My son likes to go to movies in the park... they are outdoors a lot of teens show up but the movies are from the last couple years

  • Obviously, he is NOT going to regular theaters. MOST of them SUX BAD. I am finding that Regal and Alamo are becoming decent. OTOH, AMC? Please. PURE JUNK.

  • First as long as you have 25Mbps+ you can stream just about any video quality even a 6Mbps dsl connection can handle HD netflix.

    Most everything is streamed anymore
    IIRC you can even stream a torrent nowadays.

    As for social someone is forgetting netflix party mode.

    But yeah.. I do like to visit that place with the $10 small soda's and watch movies on their gigantic screen's.
    but then I won't go until the movie is just about out of the theater and there's less than 20 people in there.

    Kinda annoying tho when the b

  • Fathom Events (Score:3)

    by Jonah Hex ( 651948 ) <hexdotms AT gmail DOT com> on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @03:01PM (#52592509) Homepage Journal
    http://www.fathomevents.com/ [fathomevents.com] I subscribe to their newsletter, and I regularly see movies, tv shows, and specials in the theater that I wouldn't ordinarily be able to see with the "full theater experience". Recently it was Batman The Killing Joke, Doctor Who episodes, Shakespeare birthday celebration, etc. I paid about $12.25 per ticket (for three people) and bought about $30 worth of theater concessions. For Killing Joke we had a group of ten people and we all had a great time, and the entire event was sold out with such demand that additional nights and showtimes were added. so yes, for certain things, I will leave my widescreen monitor and go for the theater experience.

  • Here is how you take the fight to piracy -- take some risks, make some NEW movies (get off the remake train), make some GOOD movies, with a plot and character development and, you know, things that make it interesting and make people want to discuss your movie in a general way -- not just "That sucked! I wasted $25 to see that piece of shit? I should have downloaded it instead..." Also, stop gouging theaters so that tickets are $8 to $15 a head and climbing rapidly. I know theaters gouge us, the movie goer,

    • And I'd recommend he make a move that is somewhat unlike Pocahontas. I saw Avatar much much later in my entertainment centre and felt I had wasted my time. The novelty of visuals and 3D wore off on my around the time I was 16. A movie has to have a good story. Really I'd be interesting in hearing what originality anyone saw in Avatar. And now there will be three more for crying out loud.

    • Here is how you take the fight to piracy -- take some risks, make some NEW movies (get off the remake train),

      So, that's how you fight piracy James. Not make the movie theater experience "unique" -- fucking make the movies unique so we'll want to go see them

      You'd think James would know about this too: Avatar (2009) was a hugely successful movie, and for good reason: it was an FX tour-de-force. It was absolutely unique, and it was new. (Yes, the plot wasn't completely unique, but most story plots throughou

  • Going to a theater these days little more than a chance to listen to the airheads continually yapping and playing with their cell phones, breathe the air filled with cigarette smoke and sit in a small cramped chair that's sticky with spilled pop and god knows what else. All for 15 bucks and a HUGE price for crappy popcorn and weak, flat pop.

    I'd rather poke my own eyes out with a stick than sit in a theater these days, just to watch the 17th remake of an "interpretation" of a crappy comic book.

    The modern "th


  • What I mean is that they will be dying a slow death and their days are numbered.

    Once the big screen was the only choice...then with TV it still had unparalleled quality, then TVs started catching up and it still had size still amazing sound, all these advantages are evaporating.

    Technology wise theatre will be pointless when VR movies hit mainstream. 2D Flatland and even IMAX 3D will be undesirable at the possibility of true 3D.

    What will the "theatre experience" with its queues, inconvenient travel, an

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by aprentic ( 1832 )

      I came to say almost exactly the same thing. Fortunately I did a quick search first.
      We now have decent VR goggles.
      Eventually we'll have resolutions that match our retinas, 60fps and near perfect head tracking.

      I could imagine movies morphing into something more like a video game. Maybe you could watch the battle of Helm's deep and decide which part you want to focus on or pick up a spare Orc sword. There will probably be modes where you can watch it with friends and see them dressed in character it won't mat

      • We already have 90fps VR, which is considered the lowest rate required for a good experience. 60fps would be sliding back to phone-based VR frame-rate, and would turn off a lot of people.

        Right now VR systems don't have the comfort or resolution to appeal to the typical movie-goer, but they will very soon.

    • The difference between theft and copyright infringement is one of immense philosophical complexity.

      Deprivation of property is nothing more than deprivation of the labor entailed to obtain that property. You bought a car? That cost you $28,000, which you worked for; but why did you work for $28,000? Because the car salesmen spend time seeking out, talking with, and servicing customers; the cashiers spend time being available to take your money; there are delivery drivers who must bring SIX CARS from fa

  • This from someone who probably has his own personal cinema and is totally out of touch with the realities of watching a movie with other people (who he didn't personally invite).

  • I used to love going to the theater (Score:4)

    by Scutter ( 18425 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @03:08PM (#52592599) Journal

    I used to love going to the theater but it sucks now. It's too expensive, too crowded, and I don't want to watch 15 minutes of product endorsements followed by 20 minutes of spoilers for upcoming films before they get around to showing the feature.

    Mr. Cameron, you say you want to "preserve the theater experience as something special" but it hasn't been "special" in twenty years. It's the entertainment industry's version of going to the airport. It's only a matter of time before they start adding backscatter body scanners and abusive TSA (Theater Security Agency) officers.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Fwipp ( 1473271 )

      A nice contrast with the Security Theater Agents at the airport. :)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      I used to love going to the theater but it sucks now. It's too expensive, too crowded, and I don't want to watch 15 minutes of product endorsements followed by 20 minutes of spoilers for upcoming films before they get around to showing the feature.

      Mr. Cameron, you say you want to "preserve the theater experience as something special" but it hasn't been "special" in twenty years. It's the entertainment industry's version of going to the airport. It's only a matter of time before they start adding backscatter

    • It's too expensive, too crowded, and I don't want to watch 15 minutes of product endorsements followed by 20 minutes of spoilers for upcoming films before they get around to showing the feature.

      Agreed. I have no problem with them showing ads and trailers, but they should be legally obligated to provide the actual starting time of the feature film as well -- so if I don't want to see that stuff, I can come 25 minutes "late" or whatever.

      It wasn't bad when it used to just be 2 or 3 trailers and some little intro video saying, "And now for our feature presentation..." But it's really out of hand. Imagine if you went to an opera and the actor from next season came out beforehand and performed a 20

  • I totally agree with what Mr. Cameron says; going to movies is a fun, social experience. Maybe this isn't true for other people, but I enjoy being part of a group performance (which is really what this is). It's a chance to get out with family and friends and treat yourself.

    But why is it so bloody expensive? Taking a family of four out to see a movie will cost $150 CAN minimum, - $65 for four tickets (this includes a "Child") plus popcorn, drink and candy. Now, compare this to waiting a few months for t

  • Theater Owners take notes (Score:5, Insightful)

    by nehumanuscrede ( 624750 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @03:28PM (#52592887)

    We've been telling the industry for years what's wrong with the " Theater Experience " but none of you seem to listen.
    If you want folks to start going to the theaters again, you're going to need to step up your game or find yourself going extinct in the not too distant future.

    You need to set your rules, and enforce them.

    Folks chatting / texting on their damn smartphones mid show ? They need to go. Manager up and boot their ass from the theater.
    The five year old heathen Mom or Dad brought with them who is running up and down the isles screaming mid show ? They need to go. Like ten minutes ago.
    The employee who cranks the theater audio system up 10db past the threshold of pain ? Yeah, they need to go.
    The nearsighted one who can't seem to understand what the f*ck focus even is ? They need to go.

    Clean the damn place.
    Most theaters are downright disgusting with the amount of trash and general filth you expect me to tolerate while in your facility.
    I feel like I need a round of immunization boosters or a Biohazard suit when folks ask if I want to go out to the show.

    Fix your damn gear.
    That annoying ass ground hum coming from one of your speakers ? FIX IT.
    The distortion coming from another speaker because of +10db guy above ? FIX IT.

    Seriously, you're going to have to put in a SUPREME EFFORT to keep me from waiting for the home release. I have total control over everything mentioned
    above when I wait and watch it at home.

    The theater owners and employees I rely upon to ensure a positive theater going experience have failed miserably over the past decade or two.

    Read that again. MISERABLY.

    If you industry types don't get your shit together you may as well shut the lights off now and call it a day.
    We won't miss you.

  • What really gets me is people wanting to watch hazy phone cam recordings of movies...to save a few dollars.

  • "You're still watching [movies] on a small platform, and it's not that social experience,"

    1) I have a 70" 4k TV at home. I sit about 8' from the screen. Proportionally, at your typical theater distance of 36' feet, that's a what, 27' wide screen? Small Platform? WTF?
    Further, while a nice theater might have a very good sound system, I do too, with ample subwoofer and 7.1 THX select sound - my sound is just fine.
    Further, I have FAR more comfortable seating, I can lay down if I want to, and I never stick t

  • ... filmmakers can really showcase their art

    Really? Multi Movie franchises are art in the same way that Thomas Kinkade prints are art.

    Really? Reboots of classics are art in the same way that a 2017 Mustang is a reboot of the 64 1/2 Mustang. Or the 69 Fastback

    There is very little in the way of Film Art left in the industry. And you wonder why we don't want to go to the theaters to see your "art"

  • I used to go to the cinema maybe every month or two, but then the price went from the 'Early Bird' cheap ticket that was about £4, to a ludicrous £11. The adverts went from about 12 minutes to about half an hour.

    What possible incentive does this give me to go? None. None incentive. Incentive to the value of none.

    I only go these days when something like a Terminator, Alien, or Star Wars film is released.

  • I appreciate the sentiment (Score:3)

    by chubs ( 2470996 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @03:39PM (#52593075)
    I know a lot of people don't like the theater, but I appreciate Cameron's sentiment: If you want people to give you money, give them something nobody else can. It's the same argument I make to people who call me a "bad consumer" for buying used cars. If car companies want me to buy a new car, they need to offer me something that I can't get out of a used car. Unfortunately, The car fundamentally hasn't changed much since Ford's time. Sure, they added fuel injection, A/C and newer sound systems, but there's really no innovation. I buy a new computer every few years, but that's because new computers do stuff my old one couldn't. If his recommendation for fighting piracy is "Offer something that pirates can't provide", I'm all in.

  • ..James Cameron is still worth $700 million despite all this rampant piracy.

  • A 60" flat screen from 10 feet away is not that small.. and they are relatively cheap. I've got a 100" projection screen in the basement that only runs 720p but still looks pretty damn good. The popcorn is way cheaper.

    I rarely go to the theater any more and when I do I tend to go empty ones.... matinees or movies that have been out for a while. When I saw The BFG in 3D a few weeks ago we were the only people in the theater. As for 3D filling up theaters, IMO, 3D is quickly forgotten after the first

  • Lower the food price and show price a bit.

    You have to try realy hard to beat the big screen sound with a full Dolby Atmos or DTS:X setup with a super big screen.

    But this shit of $15 per person + $1 3D up change. Also $4.50 a coke??

  • Of course he has to say something about piracy, being so heavily vested in the film industry. But all the things you guys and gals are mentioning (I hope) is exactly what he's talking about. Just as you explain, who in their right mind would want to go to a movie theater instead of staying at home when it's $12 for the ticket. Plus super high prices for everything else, gross floors, inconsiderate people, etc. In fact, we SHOULD blame the theaters some, as it is quite obvious they are simply resting on the

  • Same as always ... (Score:3)

    by jxander ( 2605655 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @04:15PM (#52593549)

    You can never compete with piracy on price, so you compete in other areas.

    I pay for movies and music from Netflix, Amazon, red box, etc. because the service is better. They're instantly available, I'll never get a bad torrent, never have missing subtitles or the wrong song mislabeled. I pay for games through Steam, GoG and Humble for similar reasons.

    I'll gladly spend the money if the service is worth it, and I'm clearly not alone. Right now, this is where movies are failing. There's nothing of value provide by a theatre that's drastically better than watching at home.

    The seats aren't any more comfortable than my couch, and the viewing angles are very hit and miss in the theatre. The food isn't any better than what I can whip up at home. The audio/visual, while certainly bigger, doesn't push an appreciably better quality than my home setup. And, perhaps most fundamentally, the quality of product on screen has declined dramatically.

    Why the hell would I go see Ghostbusters or Star Trek in a theatre, when I already have a BETTER Ghostbusters and Star Trek on the shelf at home??

    If James Cameron wants to get butts in seats, they need to fix both problems. Make better movies, and display them in better theatres. Then, maybe, you can combat piracy with "The Theater Experience."

  • Cinema (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ledow ( 319597 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @05:12PM (#52594163) Homepage

    For the first time in many many years, I went to the cinema to take my daughter to see the pet movie that just came out. I basically wrote it off in my head as cash spent to keep her quiet for a few hours.

    But because I did it in a rural theatre, and not the ones in the city, it was very different.

    It was dirt cheap to buy an entire "box" to ourselves in the theatre. I could book online in seconds. I did so, and then spotted the served-food section. I added on some popcorn and chips and other things. In total, for me and her in a private box, it came to less than I would pay for a child ticket in my own local cinema.

    We arrived, and there was nobody there. We grabbed tickets and walked straight into the theatre, no waiting around. A guy led us to our box. We had four seats to ourselves, an unobstructed view to the entire screen.

    There was barely anyone else in the theatre so no distractions. We still had the usual shite of tons of adverts but I was talking so didn't care. The food was brought to us and we were left alone when the movie started. We could hear, we could see, there were no disturbances, we had our own little table. It was great. The film, however, wasn't. But the experience is the best I've ever had in a cinema.

    However, that just doesn't scale. I realise that.

    I don't pirate. I have loads of purchased content on Amazon (including Prime), Google Play, etc. as well as my own library. Because it's one-click, play anywhere, download for offline, share with family. It's simple. The biggest problem is price online (£7.99 for Ghostbusters II, the original Terminator, etc.? Fuck off).

    But if you could combine decent prices, decent content (even old movies at the right price) and the experience I got from that cinema, I'd go every week.

    As it is, before that, I went for The Imitation Game (personal hero, movie was worth the money, the cinema wasn't). Before that? I can't even remember. Probably the original Independence Day.

    Fix the experience, it doesn't cost ANYTHING to do that, fix the shit on show (including old re-runs at really cut-down prices if you want to fill the cinema in the week and weird hours, and empty screens on the evening), but also scrap crap adverts, horrible people in cinemas, stupendous prices, and utter shite "remakes" (everything post Aliens in that franchise, for instance, Mr Cameron).

    Fuck the 3D. Fuck the Dolby super-whatever-sound. Fuck the "movie start time is 15 minutes after the time on the ticket" (literally, just tell me both, I'll still be there on time to get my food and beat the queues, but won't feel cheated), and fuck the "this movie won't be out on DVD until a year after it's never been played in a cinema" shite.

    Decent theatre, decent management of it, nice and easy, and a half-decent price. How can it cost less in a rural theatre to a city theatre, when national minimum wage applies to most of the staff?

    Outside of that, online availability everywhere, for the same (decent) price that drops over time, and isn't (like a recent Ghostbusters rental) butchered with all the original music cut (probably for contractual reasons, but fuck that shit), within a decent time of the movie being released.

    The most obstacles you insert between me pressing play or buying a ticket and watching the movie throughout unhindered, the more people will go elsewhere.

  • Movie theqater died long ago` (Score:3)

    by Sir Holo ( 531007 ) on Wednesday July 27, 2016 @05:17PM (#52594201)

    10-20 years ago, beforem torrenting moveis was a thing, comercial movie theaters essentially committed a slow suicide.

    Extra-high ticket prices.
    "Popcorn smell" pumped into the ventilation system (the chemical is known to cause lung damage).
    At least ten minutes of commercials preceding anything else.
    Commercials playing while you are waiting to the movie to "begin"---I mean by that, commercials during seating time.
    10–15 minutes of previews that I don't need to see again.
    No "good" seats left if you are smart enough to come in 30 minutes "late" to the film.
    An extra charge for assigned seating, just in case you don't like being forced to watch commercials.
    Crying babies.
    Idiots on their cell phones – the whole movie through.

    And so on.

    I will go to art-house theaters because they have no bullshit. They also usually play great movies. Big-chain commercial theaters? Less than 10 times over the past 20 years.

    The asked for it, and they got it.

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