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Meta's New Tech Wants You Using Phones in Theaters 100

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
Meta is partnering with Blumhouse to launch "Movie Mate" technology that encourages moviegoers to use their phones during theatrical screenings, beginning with an April 30 showing of "Megan" at Blumhouse's "Halfway to Halloween Film Festival." According to Variety, the system enables viewers to chat with a Megan-themed AI chatbot, answer trivia questions, and access behind-the-scenes information while watching the film in theaters.

Meta's New Tech Wants You Using Phones in Theaters More | Reply

Meta's New Tech Wants You Using Phones in Theaters

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  • Permanent bans from the theater are needed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Flentil ( 765056 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:08AM (#65294825)

    Nip this in the bud, or the movie theater experience is over. This should not be accepted and ignored.

    • Perhaps that's what theaters / cinemas need - the last nail in the coffin. Let them die peacefully to see the errors of their ways.

    • Re:Permanent bans from the theater are needed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sg_oneill ( 159032 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:37AM (#65294915)

      I just dont understand Meta. Do they scour the world for the weirdest fucking antisocial people ever to make decisons for them?

      "Hey lets throw 50 billion at VR and this shitty incomplete clone of second life that nobody wants"

      "Lets make it harder to have a sequential conversation with friends in our social network"

      "What the people REALLY want is more phones in movie theatres?"

      Like , what absolute backwards-pants wearing bowtie owning wingnut thinks this is a good way to live?

      • I just don't understand Meta. Do they scour the world for the weirdest fucking antisocial people ever to make decisions for them?

        Maybe it's birds of a feather. In any case, "Movie Mate" would let Meta track people in theaters, learning times and places. I'll wager the "AI chatbot" (or chatbots assuming this is done for other films) will ask leading questions designed to gather more personal information. Truly a horrible, horrible idea all around for (a) privacy and (b) fostering a good movie theater experience -- so, of course, from Meta ... :-)

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Shaitan ( 22585 )

        ""Hey lets throw 50 billion at VR..."

        VR is fantastic and I hope meta keeps going with that amazing work. Also producing a more or less open AI with a deliberate effort to counteract leftwing bias is fantastic work.

        "and this shitty incomplete clone of second life that nobody wants"

        "Lets make it harder to have a sequential conversation with friends in our social network"

        "What the people REALLY want is more phones in movie theatres?""

        Yeah... I can't even begin to fathom who thought any of that was a good plan.

    • Nip this in the bud, or the movie theater experience is over. This should not be accepted and ignored.

      The fact this shit was even a thought in some market genius's brain is a sign that the theater experience is already over. This shouldn't happen, at all. But there are folks who can't experience anything without filtering it through their phone, and it's bound to invade every area of life.

    • The experience has been over for quite some time. We used to have lots of reasons to go to the movies. Now we have absurdly crisp and huge screens with top notch audio right at home. Plus, no need to deal with rude or noisy people, I can pause whenever I want and bring my own scotch.

      I'll wait a few weeks to see a movie if I'm getting all that in return.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by wwphx ( 225607 )
        I'll see things at the local theater for the big screen, then watch it at home for good audio and subtitles so I can actually fully understand what was being said. *sigh*

        Our local theater sucks. I wish I lived close to a good theater complex.
    • It's just a gimmick. Like how back in the '50s you would have movies that did stuff like electric shocks on the seats or smellovision.

      In this case the movie in question is about a rogue robot so mixing in some artificial intelligence nonsense in the form of your phone as a goofy audience gimmick is fine. It's not the kind of thing that's going to spread to other movies because it wouldn't make any sense to.

      • It's just a gimmick. Like how back in the '50s you would have movies that did stuff like electric shocks on the seats or smellovision.

        No it is not a gimmick like those because with those gimmicks you had the option to go to a normal cinema without crap like that and when the gimmick failed the special seats were removed and things went back to normal.

        Encouraging people to use their phones that have bright screens and so are etremely distracting for the people who sit behind them in a dark cinema is different. It is something that you cannot choose to avoid when the person in front of you does it nor is it behaviour that will just stop

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by DarkOx ( 621550 )

          Can't see the theaters going for this anyway.

          They make their money on concessions. If you are hands are on your phone they are not in the popcorn bucket or 1000% mark up theater box of M&Ms. Which means you might not finish them and potentially buy more during slow point in the film, or worse find yourself not eating them much and not buy them in the first place on your next visit.

      • It's just a gimmick. Like how back in the '50s you would have movies that did stuff like electric shocks on the seats or smellovision.

        Coming this summer, it's the cinematic adventure you've been waiting for! Star Wars X: The Wrath of Boba Fart! Now enhanced with Liquid-ASS(tm)!

    • The movie theater experience has been over for many years already. Like most Americans these days, I now watch movies in the comfort of my own home, with $1 popcorn and a $.50 Coke, and I'll use my phone while watching if I want to. The theaters can do whatever they want, as far as I'm concerned.

      • Ive had a few good recent experiences where the movie was good and the audience was respectful of each others space which makes it a unique and enjoyable experience. Alamo theatres dont put up with that crap unlike every restaurant, bar, airport, or entertainment venue that tolerates bad behavior. Overall though, like you. I can purchase a film, enjoy it however I want with 0 interuptions. That being said, Ive would love to see a screening at Tarrantino's theatre in LA for anything.

  • Going for gold (Score:5, Funny)

    by MpVpRb ( 1423381 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:11AM (#65294837)

    ..in the olympics of bad ideas
    This is multitasking taken to a pathological extreme

  • 100% terrible idea. How about also yelling at the screen and discussing topics of the day with others while the movie is running?

  • Focusing (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Calydor ( 739835 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:15AM (#65294859)

    Let's face it; we're the last generation able to actually sit down and focus on One Thing for an extended period of time.

    • Speak for yourself. I lost about the last of my attention span about 10 years ago, and I'm old enough to remember (as an adult) "Hey! Hang up the phone! I'm online!"

    • That's for sure, have you seen what is going on in Minecraft movie showings? https://www.theguardian.com/fi... [theguardian.com] This is what 13-18 year olds think going to the movie is about: A fucking TikTok trend.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Calydor ( 739835 )

        I hate this timeline. And I hate how old I sound by saying that when I was a kid that kind of behavior would not be tolerated by my family whatsoever.

        • I hate this timeline. And I hate how old I sound by saying that when I was a kid that kind of behavior would not be tolerated by my family whatsoever.

          When I was a kid someone walking down the street talking to themself was considered crazy, now it’s assumed they are on a call and being social.

        • You should probably avoid going to any screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

          Honestly, the Minecraft movie is not any kind of masterpiece of cinema. It's the shallow cash grab that arrived years late, but has been successful regardless of that fact. I'd be more likely to go knowing that I might get to witness some utterly bizarre spectacle such as this, because I doubt I'd get my money's worth of entertainment from the film itself.

          Not every movie should be treated this way. The Brutalist doesn't

      • That's no worse than what people do at showings of Rocky Horror. They make noise through the whole damn thing.

        • Nobody is going to a midnight showing of Rocky Horror because they've never seen it and really want to be engaged in the on-screen content without distraction.

          If they wanted that, they'd watch it at home.

          • Let's be honest, nobody's going to the Minecraft movie for the plot. Or at least the noisy meme kids aren't anyway.

        • Errr when Rocky Horror hit the cinemas there wasn't that behaviour. And these days people are going to Rocky Horror for a very VERY different reason that any other normally released movie. It's not comparable.

          Wait ... no it's worse than that, you just compared a cultural phenomenon to a TikTok viral video, FUCK YOU for shitting on Rocky Horror like that.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ukoda ( 537183 )
        Good to see one venue setting aside a screening specifically to allow people to engage with the film.

        With this new Meta idea maybe they could have to two type of screening, one where phone use was encourage and one where phone use was banned. The relative numbers attending would soon tell the theaters what people prefer.

        Personally I notice when someone checks their phone during a movie as the screens are soo bright in a dark cinema. I find it annoying. Mind you I'm of the school of thought that if

        • I'm of the school of thought that if Meta thinks something is a good idea I should start avoiding it immediately.

          This works for me too.

  • No (Score:5, Insightful)

    by weeboo0104 ( 644849 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:26AM (#65294877) Journal

    Nobody needs this in theaters. The last 2 theater experiences we had we marred by the ripped seats we had picked online before getting to the theater, the garbage from the previous movie still in unused seats when the movie started, and the interruption of concessions workers coming in after the previews during the opening scenes of the movies to serve people too lazy to stand in line and get their overpriced snacks before the movie started.

    We just don't watch new movies anymore. What's the point? They are available on streaming sometimes as soon as 3 months after theatrical release anyways.

  • That is all.

  • Most Theaters Banned Phones, though (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pimpsoftcom ( 877143 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:29AM (#65294889) Journal

    The last theater I went into had explicitly banned phones because they created light during the movie and were a distraction for other moviegoers to the point where they literally set up a system where they would kick out people who had their phones out in the middle of the movie.

    So I don't think the theaters themselves will like this much and if they try to get them with the idea of more revenue this way it's just going to backfire I suspect, Because I would never want to go to a movie theater where we had to use our phone for something; people go to these places to get away from all that.

    • > because they created light during the movie

      This is such an understatement too. I don't know why but some people have their phones set to "surface of the sun" levels of brightness when they're in the dark, and then they use their phone in the row in front of you it's like a laser burning a hole in your retina as you try to watch the screen.

      No, keep phone usage out of cinemas. And turn down your screen brightness in the dark, people!

    • I don't drink Coke or Pepsi or any soft drink really, but I always buy a large one with a bunch of ice to keep it cold so I can chuck it at the guy who uses his phone during the movie.

  • Since the beginning of time, theaters are supposed to be quiet so that everybody can hear the movie. Now we're going to ask AI in the theater to get information on things we're already seeing on the screen. Theaters will be a flea market and nobody can tell anybody else to be quiet.
  • Go to the theater, and watch the movie on your phone.

    Or maybe stay at home and watch the movie on your phone, and have someone sell you expensive popcorn and drinks for the full experience.

    Yeah, this is a hard "no".
  • sheer level of stupidity of the human race at this point in time just astounds me. Back in the 80's when this computer technology was all new to me I had high hopes for the future. But now it has become clear that, Of course, It has been twisted into something so unreal I could never have imagined it would turn out this way. Mankind could have used this to so much more. Instead they used it for profit. Greed is the scourge of this planet. And for what? You can't take it with you.

    • Back in the 80's when this computer technology was all new to me I had high hopes for the future.
      But now it has become clear that, Of course, It has been twisted into something so unreal I could never have imagined it would turn out this way.
      Mankind could have used this to so much more. Instead they used it for profit. Greed is the scourge of this planet. And for what? You can't take it with you.

      Decades ago I was so excited by the idea of a web browser in your pocket. All of the worlds information at your fingertips, anywhere you go. Now I yearn for the days before smartphones.

      I wish it was easier to opt-out of this crap. Is there a cinema where smartphones are banned? Is there a bank where the staff don't say "why not use our app?" instead of doing their damn job?

  • See title. If you use your phone in a theater you deserve to be dragged outside and stomped.

    And honestly, who goes to theaters any more? Theaters basically died during Covid and I haven't been to one in years.

  • I live within walking distance of a movie theater and haven't set foot in the place in 15 years -- for all the same reasons that come up here every time the movie experience is discussed. I wouldn't go now unless I was paid, and paid well. It's miserable.

    So yes, let's deploy this. And let's deploy the next stupid idea, and the next one, and the next one, until finally we put this entire ecosystem out of its misery.

    And while of course the megaplexes are disposable, let's save the old movie houses, t

  • I go to the Movie Theater / Cinema to watch a movie. I don't want to interact with anything but the movie.

    If others interfere with my enjoyment, I will take it out on the establishment for not enforce the no phones rules. To do this I will hurt them where it hurts most, their income. I will avoid them. I will ask my friends to avoid them. I will tell anyone who will listen to avoid them.

  • Oh fuck off already

    • Oh fuck off already

      Agreed - seemed like movie theaters would be an obvious choice where you'd want to be "off-grid" (sorta) while focusing on something else: watching a movie as entertainment.

      Now it's just gonna become another fucking metric all those privacy rapists are going to use to extract more data/money out of us.

  • Let's throw this shit at the wall and see if it stinks.

  • The theater experience can still happen! (Score:5, Informative)

    by TheMiddleRoad ( 1153113 ) on Thursday April 10, 2025 @11:41AM (#65294949)

    The theater experience can still happen, but only rarely.

    I saw Freaky Tales at the Grand Lake in Oakland. A packed house. An excited crowd. I saw no cell phones during the film. The audio was terrible. The popcorn was too salty. The soda was from a local brand. The vibe was awesome and made a fun film far more fun.

    Watch Pixar films in Emeryville, where the Pixar employees see their own films and cheer during the credits.

    Go to the local midnight Rocky Horror Picture Show viewing.

    You're probably not going to get a great experience watching Deadpool 4, though, no matter where or when.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by kackle ( 910159 )
      Ha, that reminds me of when I saw the opening of "The Fugutive" (1993). My friend was a peon working in Los Angeles but still had to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He took me to a private SAG screening, though it was at a full-sized theater. After the train collision scene, in the dark, the audience unexpectedly erupted in cheers and applause. I realized that there might have been people there who actually worked on that scene and were seeing it complete for the first time!

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ukoda ( 537183 )
        Gee, that brings back memories. I worked for several weeks on a film, back in the 1980s, and got to go to the film crew viewing where most of us first saw the results of our hard work for the first time. It was a really cool experience to see all that work come to life on the big screen and a real kick to see you name in the credits at the end.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by kackle ( 910159 )
          Very cool; I respect the people who endure such efforts, especially in such a hit-or-miss field.

      • My grandparents owned theaters, and I went to a few screenings at the Variety Room in SF. One of my most cherished memories is watching Chasing Amy with my grandmother. As a lesbian and a man discuss injuries taken while going down on women, I looked over to see my grandmother laughing just as hard as I was. As we later walked to BART and passed the dark heart of Bank of America, she said that some people realize they are gay late in life.

        I asked her, "Grandma, are you trying to tell me something about y

        • Hmm, if she was trying to tell you something, and she had had such a revelation earlier in life, I wouldn't be typing this right now.

    • I prefer the theater experience in an empty or near-empty theater. Clean, quiet, comfortable with visual and audio equipment far better than anything I'm willing to buy for home. Actually, the thing my wife and I like most about the theater experience is the lack of other people (something we don't get at home). If there's a big crowd I'm noping right out.

      Empty theater experiences are pretty easy to find if you go early in the day. Matinee ticket prices are cheaper, too. We like 2 PM showings.

      • I'd rather just be home, then, since I can pause the film and take a piss whenever I want.

        • I'd rather just be home, then, since I can pause the film and take a piss whenever I want.

          And get interrupted by kids every 20 minutes.

  • I go out of my way to specific theaters that kick out people who use their phones and don't allow children. Anything that can distract from the experience is a deal breaker for me. This will be how movie theaters die...

  • https://www.phonejammer.com/ [phonejammer.com]

    Fuck'em and feed'em fish heads.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      Not legal in the USA outside of some law enforcement circles (Secret Service, etc.). The only way to jam any RF signals (legally) is to buy and use cheap Chinese switched power supplies.

  • I do occasionally go to movies. Here in my city in Canada, the movie theatre I go to has comfortable reclining seats and it is quite a nice experience. However, they ask you to silence (or turn off) and put away your phones when the movie's about to start, and they will kick you out if you use your phone during the movie.

  • ...to avoid theaters. Not that we need more. Personally, I haven been to the cinema for at least 15 years, maybe more.

  • You don't ever need to stop looking at our app. Here is another reason to stay on our app more...

  • Assaults on assholes using their phones in theatres are projected to rise 1000% by May 1.

  • Even w/ all the "Silence is Golden" and "Turn off your cell phone", Any more w/ more than 20 people there is that one jack-a-lope who can't make it 180 mins w/ ingesting or responding to the outside world... And usually has their brightness setting set to "Full Sun Burst".

    This is how you kill the struggling movie theater experience.

  • Went to the theater the other day after not going for years. It was great. The electrically reclining seats were so comfortable that I fell asleep instantly and awoke at the end of whatever crap movie it was.

  • ... the rock collapses and a new bottom is revealed. Movie theaters are supposed to be a suspension of connection with reality and an isolation that focuses you entirely on the artistry (or otherwise) of the people who created the experience that's on the big screen in front of you. A mere few decades ago, it was the most immersive experience anyone could imagine. If movie theaters want to have ANY relevance, they need to strangle this stupid idea immediately. It turns a movie theater into "I'm just sitting
  • Getting punched hard in the ear!
  • JFC can they make going to the movie theater any more unattractive? What is wrong with these corporations?

  • Like in cinemas, where 150 teens use the phones with brightness up to 100% to ruin the experience.

    At least they mostly stayed out of theaters.

  • “Meta's New Tech Wants You to Be an Asshole in Theaters”

  • People that use their phones in movie theaters should be punched, not encouraged.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ukoda ( 537183 )
      Sorry, I can't condone violence. However I have no problem with repeat offenders having their phones being taken off them, sold, and the profits shared with all movie goers who had their view experience disrupted.
  • Yah, that's what we want! Everyone in the theaters watching videos on the phones! Congrat's META on another craptacular idea.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by DarkOx ( 621550 )

      Sometimes I do wonder if Meta and 'facebook' employees in particular get out of bed in the morning and say "how can we profit by eroding the social fabric today?"

      • Sometimes I do wonder if Meta and 'facebook' employees in particular get out of bed in the morning and say "how can we profit by eroding the social fabric today?"

        At this point I assume it's part of every employee's performance review.

  • Not that I am suggesting you go out and get them...

  • Enjoy the world while it lasts, GenX is the last generation.

    Boomers - Drink like fish
    GenX - Can do anything, but now allergic to everything and can't drink
    Millenials close to GenX might be ok, but after that, it's a bunch of can't do anything with a phone in their hand lazy stupid people.
    yeah yeah there are exceptions to every rule, but this is the general state of the world.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Gilmoure ( 18428 )

      Weird group of Gen-Xers you are hanging out with.

      About the only difference with my friends is we've switched from Jim Beam to single malts.

      And maybe not drinking an entire bottle by myself in an evening. So yeah, Gen-X is pacing itself.

  • Viewers will interact with a film company chat-bot, not really with each other. Not sure I see where the money is in this since it's just one step above a YouTube stream with chat, but using an AI-bot trained on the lead character as the host.

    Anyone with the skills to adapt a voice-chat interface can do this without the theater, run it 24/7, even have other AI-bots chiming in as the other characters. If the show takes off, someone else will adapt the concept to something cheaper, relying only on on-line p

  • Suckerberg can gargle dogshit if he thinks this is a good idea.

  • Join the resistance! (Score:3)

    by CptJeanLuc ( 1889586 ) on Friday April 11, 2025 @02:29AM (#65296797)

    I've never had a Facebook account, people keep nagging me about it because it's a hassle for them to contact me in other channels, but I refuse. If people left their ecosystem, their rotten empire would collapse.

    Full disclosure: the only reason I am effectively able to do this, is my wife has a facebook account, so she can monitor all the important information related to kids activities etc. But if I were a single parent, I would constantly be nagging every organization I am somehow forced to be involved with which uses only Facebook as a communication channel, about the implications of that choice.

    At least the EU is trying to regulate some of this BS.

    • Fuck it, I got on Facebook back in the early days, just long enough to catch on and nope out. I've raised kids without an account, nor allowing them one.

      If your business or org uses Facebook, it's not a serious group. Anybody worth dealing with can handle email. Of course, everyone uses gmail. I've had to cave on that one, but while I will email someone with a gmail address, at least I am not forced to sign up for my own to do so.

  • First they're trying to get me to stop flying, by crashing all these planes and now they don't want me to go to movies.

    What's next, mandatory vuvuzela horns at all major league games?!!

  • more movie theater shootings.

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