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Comment by brm | Hacker News Reader

There is a not at all farfetched (anymore) scenario where Amazon or Netflix circle back around and roll out a series of movie theaters or "event cinemas" and try to sell people on it as some sort new real world experience where they're able to capture everything down to the concessions and market their own tentpole franchises.

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They won't even need to make any investments in infrastructure, because they'll easily be able to cheaply snap up existing franchised cinema locations as they see the writing on the wall.

Coming soon: "Delivery Option: Save $5 on your next ticket at Amazon Cinema by having this package delivered directly to your nearest theater!"

This seems so dystopian. Victory Cinemas. Victory Gin. Victory Cigarettes.

:s/Victory/Amazon/g

Indeed. "Spaceballs, the flamethrower!"

I could see a prime-theater partnership network. 'The Official Prime Cinema Experience'.

Now with Personal Seat Licenses! For a low one-time fee you can own your seat at the Prime Cinema! Buy or sell your seat tickets using the Prime Cinema Seat Marketplace! Purchases made with the Prime Cinema Credit Card get 5% off. Alternatively you can simply add the PSL to your Amazon Prime Mortgage balance as a one-time courtesy!

> Amazon Prime Mortgage balance

Good stuff right here. Scary that all of these things are a real possibility.

Completely agreed. I would absolutely pay movie-ticket prices to watch Netflix or Amazon shows in a comfortable theater setting.

The Alamo Drafthouse used to do this in Austin, except it was the AMC dramas “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” It was free - $5 to save a seat that then went towards concessions - but the networks threatened legal action on the basis that it skewed viewership numbers or some such.

What was really clever about it was that Drafthouse was playing the previous week’s episode without commercials while the new one aired, then edited out the commercials for the current week’s episode and played it right after.

Those were good times.

I guess that using VR goggles you can have that theater experience in your home.

There was a period in the video game industry, right at the tail end of the arcade era, where video games were launched in the arcade in order to boost sales of the games in the console market.

I imagine Amazon and Netflix will look to a similar strategy with movie theatres in order to boost demand for both individual films and their services in general.

I would have paid $$$ to see Roma in the cinema, after first streaming it to my phone via Netflix.

Cinematography genius!

Edit: I would still pay $$$

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