Netflix Partners With iPic To Release Its Original Movies In Theaters, NATO Urges To 'Tread Lightly' (variety.com) 134
turkeydance quotes a report from Variety: The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is sounding the alarm over a recent deal between Netflix and iPic, in which the luxury-theater chain will screen 10 movies simultaneously with their release on the streaming service. The lobbying organization represents the country's theater chains and has been a staunch defender of traditional release windows that keep films exclusively on screens for roughly 90 days before they debut on home entertainment platforms. In a statement, NATO chief John Fithian warned that while iPic was free to make its own decisions, "We all should tread lightly and be mindful that over the years, the film industry's success is a direct result of a highly successful collaboration between film makers, distributors and exhibitors." The deal with iPic should help Netflix' movies quality for awards. Variety reports: "iPic will release the war thriller 'The Siege of Jadotville,' starring Jamie Dornan ('Fifty Shades of Grey'), on Oct. 7. That will be followed by Christopher Guest's mockumentary 'Mascots' on Oct. 13. This summer, iPic first tested showings of Netflix's 'The Little Prince.'" "Simultaneous release, in practice, has reduced both theatrical and home revenues when it has been tried," Fithian said in a statement. "Just as Netflix and its customers put a value on exclusivity, theater owners and their customers do too."
Acronym collisions! (Score:3, Funny)
Coming soon to a theatre near you!
Re:Acronym collisions! (Score:4, Funny)
Does sound as if Netflix may be nuked if they are not careful doesn't it?
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I can't believe that's actually their name?! Did they realize they're crazy fucking money grubbing psychos and choose the name intentionally/ironically or are they really that fucking clueless?
I pretty much only pay for indie films these days anyway. Everything in the major cinemas has been so disappointing that I'd rather just pirate it.
Re:Acronym collisions! (Score:5, Interesting)
I hate theaters. The people who have to use their phones, the ones chatting, the children jumping around and making noise, or the laser pointers. Haven't set foot in a theater since 98, and that was because I was basically dragged into it by a girlfriend at the time. I think the last movie I went to go see was a few years before that wen a group of young females would jump out of their seats, theatrically start screaming and spinning when anything remotely different was going on in the Halloween Michael Myers movie.
the nato they mentioned are fighting tooth and nail to keep up an antiquated system. And they will be as soundly spanked as the music industry ha been.
Sorry, I enjoy my big screen, inexpensive popcorn, and a beer while watching my movies - I ave 7.1 dolby and as an added bonus, I can pause the movie when I need to use the gents.
So if Netflix needs some help dismantling "nato" , I hope they start a kickstarter so I can help fund it.
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Oh... I just thought that was a quaint English street accent, soon to be corrected by a snooty English bachelor, and followed by some rousing singing and dancing.
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The Corsair boards are pretty great
Pick the price / level of light fiddling you like and you can't go wrong. I prefer the Cherry MX Red keys on my K95, but the Blues on the new Strafe RGB I put on my kid's PC aren't bad either.
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Corsair makes nice mechanical ones (stay away from Razer), but if you want that Logitech LCD screen...
https://hardforum.com/threads/... [hardforum.com]
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Re:Acronym collisions! (Score:5, Interesting)
I love theaters! I love the big screen and the sound and the popcorn. It's a great experience. I try to see at least 6 to 10 movies in the theater every year. Some movies just crave that big screen. We have a brand new cinema with the big GTX screen only a few miles away now and it's really nice. I haven't had a problem with my fellow movie goers in ages. Tickets are expensive so that limits the problem children and if you have a problem the theater people take care of it. The only problem I have really is finding time to go. I think there will always be a market for the big screen.
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...and that's why I got a 65" high definition television - so I can have all of the "big screen" with none of the dipshits ruining the experience. If you're seeing 10 movies a year in theaters, that's $300+ you could use to invest in a decent home theater experience.
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...and that's why I got a 65" high definition television - so I can have all of the "big screen" with none of the dipshits ruining the experience. If you're seeing 10 movies a year in theaters, that's $300+ you could use to invest in a decent home theater experience.
And if you invite a friend over it's $600+.
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Which is still less than a third of what my 70" UHD just cost me. And that is without the sound receiver, speakers, Blu-Ray player, etc.
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Try having four kids. Even a matinee showing you're looking at $80 minimum.
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I had two but they seemed more like 20. It's not something we did all the time when my kids were little. Like I said, I might see 10 movies in a year now but back when my kids were small it was more like 4 or 5. I've got a big HDTV now with the rocking surround sound system and it's cool but it's not the same as that GTX experience.
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I usually stick to free or reduced price showings of older films, and even that can cost $20-30 for drinks and snacks. I generally prefer more active outings, like the science museum (which has plenty of interactive exhibits), parks and the zoo.
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My mother said close to the same thing and wouldn't go plus she hates the smoking and the canvas seats.
As time has moved on lot of cinemas are free of phone noise, people chatting etc, just like things changed with smoking.
The popcorn and drink will still set you back more than the movie ticket if you let it though.
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At home also has the advantage of Closed Captioning. Especially if you don't have perfect hearing and are tired of the dialog being played at 2 and the background music and sound effects at 11.....
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Unfortunately, I think you have a localized problem. I can't say I've ever noticed someone pull out a laser pointer, nor issues with kids running around or people talking loudly around here.
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I prefer home movie watching for the convenience and savings. I'm more comfortable. But when I do go the theaters I rarely see the bad behavior that some here (that say they don't go) describe.
That's mostly at weekends. It's a lot quieter if you go to late night sessions on Monday/Tuesday.
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I hate theaters. The people who have to use their phones, the ones chatting, the children jumping around and making noise, or the laser pointers. Haven't set foot in a theater since 98
You can go back now. The laser pointer craze died out in about the year 2000.
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the nato they mentioned are fighting tooth and nail to keep up an antiquated system.
Here's the thing: I don't think it's a completely antiquated system. Some people love theaters, whether it's because they like seeing things on a big screen with good audio and whatnot, or because they actually enjoy the crowd. I don't blame them. I like going to theaters sometimes.
What I think its antiquated is the distribution system that theaters play a role in. Movies go into theaters, and then disappear for several months. Then they come out on DVD, and maybe some streaming services, but at first
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Ooh, is this the moaning about the theater experience thread? I want in on that!
Aside from the disadvantages mentioned above, theaters lack a lot of the amenities of watching a movie at home. Like a big comfy couch to slouch into (or fall asleep on), or being able to pause the movie at will if I want to go to the bathroom or get a drink, or being able to turn on the subtitles so I can actually /hear/ what the characters are saying during a big action scene. And I like being able to simply switching to a dif
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Have you actually been to an iPic theater? I don't generally go see many movies in a theater (maybe once a year), but I ONLY go to iPic when I do. Precisely because they don't suffer from most of the problems you mention. Reserved seats when you purchase your ticket. No one else sitting within 6ft or so of me and my GF. Generally, by 10 minutes in, I've forgotten we're not the only ones there. Of course the tickets are more expensive, and the food/drinks are overpriced, but at least the tickets include popc
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You're kinda missing the point of theatres. Watching a film as part of a large audience is a better experience (assuming everyone is well behaved) because the collective reaction of an audience to humorous or shocking moments lets you pick out things that you might not notice when watching alone.
Sorry you had such bad experiences in the past, I know I've had them too. It depends on where you live. I watched a movie once in Stockport, UK and the audience was a crowd of teenage idiots who chatted and smoked t
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I have said it before and I wills say it again, NATO is obsolete!
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If NATO supports the movie theaters, I support Russia!
Buggy Whip Manufacturers Association (Score:5, Insightful)
Also warns people to "tread lightly" regarding this new automobile contraption. "Remember, the success we've seen is a direct result of collaboration between the carriage makers, blacksmiths, and horse farmers."
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...starring Jamie Dornan ('Fifty Shades of Grey')...
So to answer your question...the buggy whip, uh, finds a way.
I can see why NATO would be involved (Score:5, Funny)
Hollywood keeps dropping bombs at the movie theater.
Phrasing. (Score:3)
"We all should tread lightly and be mindful that over the years, the film industry's success is a direct result of a highly successful collaboration between film makers, distributors and exhibitors."
Collaboration or collusion?
Re:Phrasing. (Score:5, Funny)
whatever causes the mainstream movie/entertainment industry PAIN, I'm all in favor of.
you assholes have been milking the consumer for far too long. your model is outdated and in need of major change.
oh, and btw, go fuck yourselves.
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I'm no fan of the Hollywood establishment, but "milked"? It's entertainment, you fuck face. If you don't want to pay the price, don't.
Re: Phrasing. (Score:2)
It seems many folks already gave up on the theater " experience ".
And when we don't go in droves, they cry about how poor movie sales are and blame pirates for their woes.
Then they bribe . . . . er . . contribute campaign donations to their favorite Congress-Critter to get some more anti-piracy laws passed to further restrict how and where we can watch said entertainment.
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$10 to see a movie versos $110 to see a concert, go fuck yourself, the movie industry cares more about its customers than any other industry.
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$10 to see a movie versos $110 to see a concert, go fuck yourself, the movie industry cares more about its customers than any other industry.
Your comparison isn't valid - movies are not live performances. Comparing the price of a concert to a live theater production (play/opera/musical) would be more appropriate and those tickets are (can be) just as expensive as concert tickets.
Re:Phrasing. (Score:5, Informative)
No joke. In any other industry, where producers "work together" to set pricing models, set up and maintain artificial scarcity, lock out competition, and do this to "ensure success", we call it conspiracy, collusion, and racketeering.
But it is somehow different for the entertainment industry.
For mysterious reasons, that are perfectly rational, and not at all tied to campaign kickbacks and political donations. No sir, not at all.
Netflix' deal with this theatre chain certainly won't expose decades of " false" lobbyist claims about immediate availability harming tickets sales, or anything like that-- media consumers will just stay home on release day, and it will be a disaster for both of them, that's what they mean here, I am sure! It is sure to demonstrate clearly and without distortion why industry needs to work lockstep to assure its future in the face of pirates, and inexpensive streaming, and certainly won't expose any of the industry's claims to the contrary false, no sir, not possible. /s
Be realistic (Score:5, Interesting)
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Don't forget their highly creative approach to tax accounting.
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It's not highly creative tax accounting. When you pay little or no taxes, it makes you smart. Or at least I think that's how it goes lately.
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"Smart" and "ethical" are NOT the same thing...
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Hollywood uses more than deductions.
Almost all major-studio films lose money. One way to achieve this is to massively overcharge themselves by contracting everything from catering to post-production to marketing to another company owned by the studio, but legally located in a tax haven. The American company makes a loss on paper, because they spent all their income that way - and the profit is made somewhere more tax-favorable. This is why you always see film revenue quoted as making 'a gross of $X on a bud
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If you loack the fortintude to tell your kids NO, you have no business being a parent...
"But Dad, I need a gun!"
"Oh ok, here you go...."
I asked a movie industry CEO about this (Score:5, Interesting)
.. about a decade ago, why were movie studios really pushing ahead on the 3-D movie boom, when 3-D hadn't worked well before and audiences were ambivalent. He said that the studios were looking for something that would get people into the theaters, some way that they could differentiate themselves from just DVD entertainment, and special theaters with special gear to give you an experience you won't get on your couch. Think of arcades today -- if you can find them, they're full of games with fancy controllers, or Dave and Buster's styled attractions, not screens with games you can play on your X-Box. Same reason.
I then asked him why these same studios were also pushing 3-D TVs and projection systems and super-high-quality sound at home, and he said that the movie industry was not above shooting itself in the foot.
(This wasn't the head of Warner or Disney, it was a small independent studio that released about a movie a year)
Studios will get alarmed at something that threatens the traditional cash cow of the movie theater, just as they saw great gains in the DVD era, and also great great declines in revenue as the DVD era petered out. If the movie theaters fade, then they won't -really- know how to market and sell their films, and they'll work to protect what they know rather than face the great unknown.
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Movie theaters are like shops the end of the retail chain, and the digitalisation of the retail sector makes them obsolete. You can order your TV over amazon now, just as you can watch your movie over netflix. The retail sector is getting terribly efficient in the process, with very low margins. While obviously the traditional retail industry sees giant losses, its good for people living in the countryside or remote areas, where there is no cinema/shop nearby and you previously either had the choice between
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While suitable equipment is cheap, and sufficient space is available in homes (at least in America), a lot of home setups are still inferior to real cinemas. This is especially true for the bigger screens.
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That was a much better argument before 60-inch TV's became commonplace. It's not a movie screen, but the difference is much less noticeable than when you were stuck watching it on a tiny 19".
Re:I asked a movie industry CEO about this (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not the size that matters, but the resolution and viewing distance.
And for many movie theatres, resolution is downright crappy.compared to the size of the screen. Anyone sitting front-row see blurry pixels.
Never mind that the diagonal projection that many theatres do to save space needs a very well calibrated lens setup - which they don't have. So you get one corner that is far blurrier than the opposite corner.
Add the overpriced concessions, and that more than half the audience don't have a grain of manners in their bodies, and will pick up their mobile phone during the feature.
No, going to the movies is just not worth it anymore. Compared to the days with 70mm analog and large auditoria, before mobile phones became ubiquitous, it's now crap in all ways. I'd rather watch at home, for better quality, no 3rd party breaking the suspension of disbelief, far better seating, and even if buying a BD or HD streamed movie, it's cheaper than the theatre if you have snacks or are more than one person.
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Exactly this. After I got my 65" Samsung I never looked back. My home experience is better in every way compared to the local theaters here. Especially the seating. I don't know about you, but I'm getting on in the years and theater seating gets extremely uncomfortable.
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Lack of volume control is becoming an issue with theatres too. Some movies are just too fucking loud. I mean, it's fun for the odd massive explosion to rumble your seat and give you a mild concussion, but I remember going to see Man of Steel and feeling like I was being battered more then Superman was by the endless bass kicks to the arse and distorted ear-splitting treble.
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I find the frame rate of many movies in theatres to be too low. 24fps is crap.
Unless you're watching the Hobbit in HFR, that's what almost all films are recorded as. When you're watching at home, you're watching 24fps content. And if you're watching it on one of those weird TVs where you HAVEN'T turned off "jitter correction" or "120 Hz output," then you're watching 24fps content with plenty of artifacts.
I liked The Hobbit in HFR (the content of the movie, maybe another question), but people are used to 24fps. They complained it looked too soap opera-y, it made the sets look fake (wh
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19"? Pish posh. 28" CRT, baby :-)
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Honestly, who gives a shit. I have a Pioneer 7.2 setup at home and it sounds fantastic. Theaters have a monopoly on exactly nothing anymore.
Yeah, but then the guy next door starts banging on the wall and you have to turn it down again.
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Who really needs a huge, neck-craning screen and ear-killing decibels to enjoy a movie?
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....I can get full bitrate film quality streaming with no buffering. Otherwise I'll still go to a theater for this.
I'll always take Blu-Ray over streaming. Every time.
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he said that the movie industry was not above shooting itself in the foot
"I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone." Jack Valenti, MPAA, 1982.
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I used this quote in my Encoding & Encryption class about how DRM is pointless and Media should instead move towards invisible watermarks so as to be able to track down leakers. (Got lots of laughs, and basically cemented my argument)
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I used this quote in my Encoding & Encryption class about how DRM is pointless and Media should instead move towards invisible watermarks so as to be able to track down leakers. (Got lots of laughs, and basically cemented my argument)
I also attended a demonstration where I saw exactly that -- very minor changes made to specific scenes with background objects that could be altered with effects in post. Different regions get different variations that you will only be able to notice if you have stills from both and can check them side by side. This was mostly done for actual film prints that went out internationally to track what locations pirated copies of film prints and scanned them for online distribution. They admitted that once they
Success? (Score:3, Funny)
... NATO chief John Fithian warned that while iPic was free to make its own decisions, "We all should tread lightly and be mindful that over the years, the film industry's success is a direct result of a highly successful collaboration between film makers, distributors and exhibitors." ....
A couple of questions, please...
.
1) WTF is NATO having anything to do whatsoever in the release dates of films screened in movie theaters? Doesn't NATO have more important things to worry about, like, e.g., Syria?
2) Why has the NATO chief effectively admitted that the success of Hollywood is not the result of the quality of the films being made, but the restrictive and limiting aspect of their distribution?
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.
Never mind. (said in my Church Lady [youtube.com] voice)
Warsaw Pact (Score:5, Funny)
They're the only thing between us and the Warsaw Pact overrunning our theaters with Russian films!
Re: Warsaw Pact (Score:2)
They're almost as bad as the North American Marlin Brando Look Alikes.
Re: Warsaw Pact (Score:2)
There's something fishy about that group
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Western Association of Russian Speaking A/V Weirdos?
Widely Acknowledged Russian Audiovisual Weapons?
Westernly Averting Russia Advocating War-movies?
We Already Read/Saw it All on the Web?
And John Fithian went on to add (Score:2)
I actually feel for NATO (Score:2)
NATO blew it by not controlling the idiots in the theater. Back then it was idiots talking over the movie, and unattended kids running around. For me the killer was when they started running ads before movies. I paid to see the damned movie, not a bunch of ads. About that time my home system was good enough that I didn't ne
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For me the killer was when they started running ads before movies.
I remember them doing that in the late 60s. How old are you?
As i recall, still ads were shown from the auditorium opened, usually 20-30 minutes before the movie.
At 5 minutes before the movie, the lights dimmed, and motion ads started. Anyone arriving then were considered late, and were shown to their seat by an attendant with a torch.
At the set time for the movie, the doors closed, and the lights went all the way out including the exit lights, the volume turned up, and then the feature started.
At the end
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As i recall, still ads were shown from the auditorium opened, usually 20-30 minutes before the movie. At 5 minutes before the movie, the lights dimmed, and motion ads started. Anyone arriving then were considered late, and were shown to their seat by an attendant with a torch. At the set time for the movie, the doors closed, and the lights went all the way out including the exit lights, the volume turned up, and then the feature started. At the end of the feature, the exit lights would come on, then ambient lights would slowly increase during the end credits, and afterwards, an admonition to remember to not leave anything behind, and to leave the theater orderly, letting those sitting close to the exit leave first. Followed by more still ads.
Interesting - my recollection is slightly different (AU theatres, so ... could be regional differences).
Everyone leaves, theatre is cleaned. There might be a static screen showing, but more than likely curtains are closed. People start to file in.
At the start time for the movie, the lights dim halfway and the ads start playing (static ads). Anyone arriving can still see, no flashlight needed - but at least we had batteries rather than flames.
At ten minutes in, the lights dim and video ads started. At thi
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As i recall, still ads were shown from the auditorium opened, usually 20-30 minutes before the movie.
Yes, they still do this.
At 5 minutes before the movie, the lights dimmed, and motion ads started. Anyone arriving then were considered late, and were shown to their seat by an attendant with a torch.
No. They no longer do this. This is why I don't want to go see movies in the theater.
At the *start time* of the movie, 15 minutes of ads are shown. These are non-topical ads, mind you. Ads for life insurance or cars.
At T+15 minutes, the lights dim, and we're shown the trailers that are actually useful ads, as I'm at a movie and I am shopping for my next movie.
At T+30 minutes, the movie starts. Late arrivals get no assistance to a seat, and may be as disruptive as they wish. No usher
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And, today, exit lights will stay on during the entire show. Which can be very distractive, especially if green instead of red.
The reason is (of course) that they don't want to pay for an usher to monitor the auditorium and assist people, so they keep them on during the show "for safety".
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Ads, not previews. Previews are part of the experience, but outright commercials on the other hand. DIE ADVERTISING EVERYWHERE 24/7!
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Fix your culture?
Here in Denmark, nobody talks during the movie, nobody is using their cellphone, people are just there to watch the movie. The theater is cleaned after each screening. Oh, and we have assigned seats. When you order your ticket, you also pick what seats you want. We have both still and motion ads and 1-3 trailers for other movies before the feature.
Been this way for at least 30 years, and works great. If it doesn't work in whatever country you're in, fix it.
Let people see what they want (Score:2)
Get rid of the fake 90 day monopoly and national regional lock in sales.
Go to your local theatre for digital projection or stream to your big screen at home.
The this sounds like some https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] or
Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Yeah... (Score:3)
Does this mean that the world will stay peaceful for all of human existence + 95 years?
Love Theaters (Score:1)
But don't care about exclusivity. I go for the experience and see both first run films and special presentations of classics. I prefer clean theaters with awesome staff and fresh concessions. That's where theater owners should focus: great popcorn served with an enthusiastic smile.
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But don't care about exclusivity. I go for the experience and see both first run films and special presentations of classics. I prefer clean theaters with awesome staff and fresh concessions. That's where theater owners should focus: great popcorn served with an enthusiastic smile.
What color is the sky in your world?
Copyright (Score:5, Funny)
Movie Houses (Score:2)
I hope they don't get disqualitied (Score:2)
The deal with iPic should help Netflix' movies...
It's okay, you know, to put an s after the apostrophe when something ends in x. It's even okay when the word ends in s.
Or you could have just left off the apostrophe altogether. It would still have been cromulent and you wouldn't look like you weren't sure what you were doing (or trying to look clever).
quality for awards
Oh dear...
Batman 285, Toy Story 50, Xmen 512,... (Score:2)
Hollywood is a sequel farm. The hell with them.
Why (Score:2)
Would these idiots create a group and give it the same acronym as an existing organization. the real NATO should sue, just like the WWF vs. the WWF
NATO opposes Netflix (Score:2)
NATO opposes the Netflix move, however the Warsaw Pact group of theatre owners headquartered in Warsaw, Texas, today announced that they are happy with the decision and are willing to fight NATO in order to keep Netflix movies open to the proletariat.
Kino-German Bundesfilms, a small East coast distributor, is being suspected of trying to infiltrate NATO headquarters to stop NATO's move to prevent Netflix's operation from proceeding but were found by the Movie-Intelligence 5 agents, and Movie-Intelligence 6
exclusivity (Score:2)
when your main point of value is a contractual construct you're doing something wrong.
creating a walled garden or an exclusivity window in an aim to increase desirability through limited availability is just fundamentally wrongheaded.
theatre owners should drive people to the film for the quality of the experience, not the fact that it's the only place you can see the movie.
i will never have a huge screen and massive sound system at home. i will never have high performance digital projectors that can deliver
NATO? (Score:2)
What the hell is NATO getting involved in (or even interested in) movie downloads?
Unless the guy is simply writing as a movie downloader and viewer, in which case he should drop that title, ne?
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Cry me a bloody river. (Score:2)
The only movie theater I'd be sorry to see go... the only movie theater that, so far as I can tell, gives a damn about making movie-going a pleasant experience... is the Alamo Drafthouse. And somehow, I very much doubt that the Alamo will go out with the rest of the chains.
The rest? They made their bed with surly, but neverltheless gutless in the face of screaming brats or prattling yackers, employees, extortionate prices for decidedly sub-par food and drinks, filthy theaters, uncomfortable chairs, and ti
Article 5 (Score:1)