Henry Faherty
Screening Room, a technology developed by Facebook and Napster star Sean Parker, is an arising topic in Hollywood that has quickly separated both filmmakers and studios alike. The system enables people to buy a $150 piracy-proof streaming box and then $50 for each film, allowing for home-viewing of new movies released in theaters. This could possibly increase revenue for the industry because it could reach out to the many who almost never see go out and see films.
And many big Hollywood figureheads have expressed their interest in supporting the system; Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Ron Howard, and Martin Scorsese are just a few who already see its value. But as there always is, others have spoken out against it, stating that it could be detrimental to theaters if made widely available.
According to Variety, “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan has now joined the opposition towards the technology. On his side are the legendary James Cameron and producer Jon Landau. Nolan mentioned both in a recent email about Screening Room:
“It would be hard to express the great importance of exclusive theatrical presentation to our industry more compellingly than Jon Landau and James Cameron did.”
So it’s still relatively up in the air as to what may happen with this potentially revolutionary product. While it may hit a previously untouched audience, it could severely change how theaters release films to the public, if not cripple the industry entirely. But another thing to consider is the price tag. Just for the streaming box itself and one film is already $200, so many could see that and instantly reject it. And with Nolan’s entry into the mix, the opposition may only continue to grow in the coming months.
