James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Michael Bay and 20 Others Release Anti Premium Video On Demand Letter

[heisenberg]

This Thursday, DirecTV is launching a revolutionary new service called Home Premiere which will allow subscribers to view movies just two months after they open in theaters. Not only is the National Association of Theater Owners strongly opposed to this, we recently surmised that it could just be the next step in the total and utter death of movie going as we know it. Today, twenty-three high profile Hollywood filmmakers agree.

Why on earth would you give audiences an incentive to skip the highest and best form of your film? My films aren’t going to the home early, but many will, and that will weaken the movie theater industry—and then my movies are threatened.
​

That’s the sentiment of James Cameron, the director of the two highest grossing films of all time. He and Peter Jackson, Michael Bay, Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro, Roland Emmerich, Jon Landau, Shawn Levy, Michael Mann, Todd Phillips, Brett Ratner, Adam Shankman, Gore Verbinski and Robert Zemeckis are part of the roster of filmmakers who have signed a letter expressing the creative community’s problems with this service. Read it in full after the jump.

http://www.slashfilm.com/james-came...-20-release-anti-premium-video-demand-letter/

 

[Mr. A]

Not sure what to think of this... the Home Premiere system, that is.

 

[heisenberg]

Not sure what to think of this... the Home Premiere system, that is. View attachment 3993

I don't see this as a bad thing...Nothing beats the cinema experience. You can try and replicate the feel of a cinema, but the thing is, you can't 100% replicate. That is if offcourse you are willing to spend 500K on having the right setting and room to a film.But I highly doubt the average consumer can afford or is willing to spend so much.

People will still go to the movies to watch blockbusters for sure...

 

[Overmind One]

Saw this coming...

I don't see this as a bad thing...Nothing beats the cinema experience. You can try and replicate the feel of a cinema, but the thing is, you can't 100% replicate. That is if offcourse you are willing to spend 500K on having the right setting and room to a film.But I highly doubt the average consumer can afford or is willing to spend so much.

People will still go to the movies to watch blockbusters for sure...

The movie theater is going to become something of the past. As soon as I saw the advent of flat screen TVs costing less than $1000, and high quality "beamers" (digital projectors), I saw it coming. I agree you cant duplicate the theater experience 100% :

1. You cant replicate the frustration of finding a parking space before the movie starts, because your car is in your garage.
2. You cant replicate the gum stuck on the floor or the snoring guy next to you (perhaps you can replicate both of those depending on how you live)
3. You cant replicate the big hair of the woman in front of you, or the annoying kicking of the seat from the fidgety kid behind you.
4. You cant replicate the conversations taking place during the movie, or the sudden whiff of a viscous fart passing over you.

Nope. No I agree that the theater experience cant be replicated 100% But you can replate most of it! For instance:

1. You can put $12.00 in the cookie jar everytime you watch a movie on your home big screen, and throw in $4/50 more for parking (even though the car is in the garage).
2. You can put a $5 in the cookie jar for every bowl of popcorn you pop at home for 2 cents, and you can even have REAL butter. You can even have your own candy and it wont be confiscated at the door.
3. You can leave your movie running whilst you go to the bathroom (instead of pausing it) and INTENTIONALLY miss part of the movie...just like in theaters!
4. You can put another $12.00 in the cookie jar when you watch more than one movie on the same night, instead of getting two movies in the same theater for the price of one.
5. The farting...well, lets not replicate that.

 

[shavedape]

Spot on!

The movie theater is going to become something of the past. As soon as I saw the advent of flat screen TVs costing less than $1000, and high quality "beamers" (digital projectors), I saw it coming. I agree you cant duplicate the theater experience 100% :

1. You cant replicate the frustration of finding a parking space before the movie starts, because your car is in your garage.
2. You cant replicate the gum stuck on the floor or the snoring guy next to you (perhaps you can replicate both of those depending on how you live)
3. You cant replicate the big hair of the woman in front of you, or the annoying kicking of the seat from the fidgety kid behind you.
4. You cant replicate the conversations taking place during the movie, or the sudden whiff of a viscous fart passing over you.

Nope. No I agree that the theater experience cant be replicated 100% But you can replate most of it! For instance:

1. You can put $12.00 in the cookie jar everytime you watch a movie on your home big screen, and throw in $4/50 more for parking (even though the car is in the garage).
2. You can put a $5 in the cookie jar for every bowl of popcorn you pop at home for 2 cents, and you can even have REAL butter. You can even have your own candy and it wont be confiscated at the door.
3. You can leave your movie running whilst you go to the bathroom (instead of pausing it) and INTENTIONALLY miss part of the movie...just like in theaters!
4. You can put another $12.00 in the cookie jar when you watch more than one movie on the same night, instead of getting two movies in the same theater for the price of one.
5. The farting...well, lets not replicate that.

And the texting, and the gang fights and the screaming packs of "tweens" who were dropped off by mommy because "They're too big for a babysitter", and the groups of people stumbling in late and searching for seats, and...

The list goes on.

You're right OM1, the future viewing of cinema will take place right in our own homes. The technology is already here for large, quality screens and incredible sound systems, plus there's the added advantage of watching what you want when you want. I'm surprised theaters haven't gone the way of the dinosaur yet. I'd say in five years they will be dropping like flies.

 

[Gatefan1976]

I only go to the Cinema maybe TWICE a year if I'm lucky, not because I cannot afford it, but I just can't be bothered. To take the family to the movies can cost upwards of 80 bucks and thats just for tickets and a few munchies. Mrs Gatefan and Myself's last visit to the movies was to go to see HP FFS. I want to go see Thor on the big screen (cause I love Thor), and the only other movie on the raidar is HP7 pt2.

I love movies and TV shows, but I can by 3-5 NR DVD's for the price of going to the movies, and still support the producers of said movies (not as much sure, but we're not freaking millionare's) Shit, when I got S1&2 of Eureka they were only 15 bucks per season.

 

[Illiterati]

And the texting, and the gang fights and the screaming packs of "tweens" who were dropped off by mommy because "They're too big for a babysitter", and the groups of people stumbling in late and searching for seats, and...

The list goes on.

You're right OM1, the future viewing of cinema will take place right in our own homes. The technology is already here for large, quality screens and incredible sound systems, plus there's the added advantage of watching what you want when you want. I'm surprised theaters haven't gone the way of the dinosaur yet. I'd say in five years they will be dropping like flies.

I've not had these issues since I started going strictly to the Arclight Cinemas out this way. On top of that, they have a bar and a restaurant (real food, not fast food) on the premises -- and when you buy your tickets online (and you get to pick your seats when you do), they deduct a buck from the price of each ticket, unlike some other "online ticketing services" I can think of offhand who ADD a dollar "convenience fee" for buying online.

So for now, I'll still be hitting movie theatres.

 

[Graybrew1]

I am torn about this too. I have a big screen HD at home, so if there is not INCREDIBLE special effects happening , I always wait for it to get to OnDemand to watch it. For $4.99 I can watch on any tv in my house for 2 days. In the theatre, I last saw Avatar, don't regret it a bit. It was well worth the $60.00 for four tickets for me, hubby , kid and her friend. Not to mention the $30.00 in soda and snacks. I did get some real cool 3D glasses(that they actually asked us to return, NO) But that is ridiculous. So , I will go see the next big SciFi flick without the kid ,during a matinee, and eat before I go. I can probably save about $35.00 that way. And I will be there for the next Star Trek flick for sure. But probably not before that.

 

[mzzz]

Anything that takes away from an overpaid selective minority of the people, I'm for.

 

[Graybrew1]

Anything that takes away from an overpaid selective minority of the people, I'm for.

What are you , a walking dictionary? LOL