Screening Room wants to take 'going to the movies' out of going to the movies - CNET

It's not the first time Sean Parker has mainlined entertainment straight into homes, bypassing the behemoths of the content industry. In 1999, at the age of 19, Parker launched the file-sharing service Napster and quickly became both the face of online piracy and the man credited with revolutionising digital music.

Now, the one-time nemesis of the entertainment industry has managed to woo some of the biggest names in Hollywood for his new venture. Deadline Hollywood and Variety report that Screening Room's list of backers now includes Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, J.J. Abrams, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

But it's not just the directors who need to back the operation. In order to guarantee day-and-date releases, Screening Room will need the support of the major studios and rights holders who own the copyright on the titles and hold the aces when it comes to distribution deals. There's no use in charging $50 a pop and promising opening-day streaming if you can't secure the kind of tentpole titles that get movie buffs into cinemas in the first place.

And finally, there's the movie theatres themselves. Screening Room is reportedly promising as much as $20 from the $50-per-movie fee to theatre owners to ensure they play nice. Variety also reports that each title will come with two movie tickets to go see the film in person -- a seemingly contradictory offering, until you remember just how much cinemas can charge on candy bar sales.