Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Sony Pictures turns cinemagoers into film bookers

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-29-2002, 07:11 AM:

Interesting story in Screen Daily:
http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=9292

"...Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) will launch a new service offering special screenings of Sony films, based on Internet polls.

Called Dream Theatre, the service will allow visitors to Sony's fee-based MovieEater website to propose not only titles, but venues and schedules for screenings.

When between 100 to 150 individuals have selected a film, they will be able to lease a screen at their nearest available theatre complex. The selections will come from half of the 300 films in the Sony library, including classics such as Easy Rider, Taxi Driver and Lawrence Of Arabia to recent titles such as Spider-Man and Panic Room..."

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 08-29-2002, 05:01 PM:

Interesting idea. However, I believe that this sounds better on paper than it will when actually used. Sony would have to make sure that people are not voting twice or stacking the votes. My experances with midnight shows in the past have shown that although there always seems to be great interest in the idea of bringing in an old movie, actually getting these same people to show up is a different story. If I were Sony, I would have first 150 tickets paid for in advance over the Web Site before I would schedule the show. But obviously no one is going to pay for a show not knowing if it is even going to come or not so this is not a practical solution either. So in any event, I will be curious how well this does.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-29-2002, 08:20 PM:

John said: >When between 100 to 150 individuals have selected a film, they will be able to lease a screen at their nearest available theatre complex.<

This would work for theatres that Sony owns; they own the title, they own the theatre and they are guaranteed an audience of 150 who pay a $9 admission? And I assume they would still advertise and let anyone else besides the 150 in as long as they buy tickets. How can they go wrong? But how can it work if the nearest theatre complex is a Regal? Sony would have to 4-wall someone else's theatre? That could get pretty expensive.

Frank