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Would you pay $50 to watch a new movie at home?

Napster founder Sean Parker thinks you'd pay $50 plus equipment fees to watch a new film from your couch, the idea behind startup Screening Room.
By Lexie Hammesfahr
March 10, 2016

Video includes clips from Walt Disney Studios and images from Getty Images.


Sean Parker, founder of Napster and former president of Facebook, has an idea about how to let you watch new-release movies from home.

But it costs $50 per movie for a 48-hour viewing period, plus $150 for a set-top box.

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Variety reported Parker is an investor in the startup Screening Room, which uses anti-piracy technology to let users watch films at home the same day they hit theaters.

Attempts to put new movies in homes have failed in the past, but this one could succeed. Screening Room will bring both distributors and exhibitors in on the revenue it makes.

Critics say the plan is too expensive, but supporters insist that splitting the $50 cost among five friends to watch a new film at home costs less than catching a flick in theaters.

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Lexie Hammesfahr

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