CinemaTech
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AD: Fans, Friends & Followers

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

MovieMobz: Audiences Choose What They Want to See

I love this idea: let audiences pick what plays at their local theater.

From John Hopewell's piece in Variety:

    ...MovieMobz goes a social step further.

    Its website allows filmgoers from the MovieMobz.com film club, to "mobilize" by choosing films, both classics and new releases, and click on a "I Want to See It" button.

    Once enough viewers vote on a film, it emails members with screening details.

    So far, MovieMobz has attracted 4,000 members and staged 20 film sessions, MovieMobz CEO Fabio Lima says.

    About 2.5 people attend for every member who's voted.

    "People bring their friends. Newspapers highlight sessions. Our entry prices are always lower than the half-price tickets students get," Lima says.


Why doesn't someone in the US give this a shot?

One interesting twist on the idea would be to let voters put their money where their mouth is: what if a voter agrees to give the theater her credit card number when she votes... and if the movie that she votes for eventually plays, her credit card is charged $5, and she has essentially bought an advance discount ticket. That seems like a good way to encourage people to show up to the theater ... not just to vote online. It's not too unlike the way Priceline gets you to guarantee that you'll pay for a hotel room you've bid on.

But maybe, as Lima suggests, you don't need to motivate people to show up....

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5 Comments:

  • It's already happening in the US.

    Withoutabox.com allows groups to purchase advance tickets in an area THEN when enough have purchased they book the theater.

    This isn't for classic films, but primarily for new indie features trying to manage a theatrical release.

    By Blogger Cunningham, at 3:21 PM  

  • Why should you give your credit card data away when they say that "About 2.5 people attend for every member who's voted."

    That means 100 people voted, and you have filled a theater with 250 seats.

    If I had to give away my data and book without knowing when and if there will be a screening and have to go when they send me the time and day I would not click that button.

    But if I had clicked it, and the Movie would be shown I would go there if possible.

    By Blogger GPSchnyder, at 3:37 PM  

  • are they offering Dcinema delivery or are the movies limited to ones with a P&A commitment? I think that once the films can be delivered to the theaters in this fashion you will see mobs of people adopting this for all genres of film and other events within the moving image.

    By Blogger David Geertz, at 10:05 PM  

  • David-

    All digital.

    Cunningham... if Withoutabox is doing this they sure aren't promoting it well...

    By Blogger Scott Kirsner, at 8:12 AM  

  • I agree...

    https://www.withoutabox.com/index.php?cmd=criticalmassticketing.index

    By Blogger Cunningham, at 10:39 AM  

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