Like something out of an inward-looking Hollywood drama, a split has formed between big-name directors over a new service that'll let people watch movies at home the day they're released in theatres.
Called Screening Room, the proposed set-top box has the backing of some of the biggest names in film, including Sir Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Martin Scorsese.
For US$50 (NZ$75), viewers will get to stream new release movies in their own home, and receive tickets to see it in theatres, if they want.
But the director and producer of the two biggest-grossing films of all-time -- James Cameron and Jon Landau -- have come out swinging against the idea.
Landau told Hollywood newspaper Variety they "have an obligation to speak out publicly against" Screening Room.
"Both Jim and I remain committed to the sanctity of the in-theatre experience," said Landau.
"For us, from both a creative and financial standpoint, it is essential for movies to be offered exclusively in theatres for their initial release. We don't understand why the industry would want to provide audiences an incentive to skip the best form to experience the art that we work so hard to create."
Sir Peter, whose Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were arguably designed to be seen on the big screen, says the aim of Screening Room is to capture an audience that can't, or won't, go to the theatre.
"Screening Room will expand the audience for a movie -- not shift it from cinema to living room," he said earlier this week.
Landau says he and Cameron aren't against watching movies at home, but it should come after the theatre run.
"To us, the in-theatre experience is the wellspring that drives our entire business, regardless of what other platforms we eventually play on and should eventually play on. No one is against playing in the home, but there is a sequencing of events that leads to it."
But it's not just art he's worried about, saying owners of the Screening Room set-top boxes will host viewing parties, taking money away from the theatre chains.
"The water fountain effect, where, a great number of people would take advantage of the US$50 price point and herd in numerous friends and family members to watch at home is also concerning," he told website Deadline Hollywood.
So far, only one studio has signed up for Screening Room.
Newshub.
