The Theater isn’t Just for Movies Anymore

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A few weeks ago my wife and I went to a Cinamark theater after coming back from our Caribbean cruise. There were the usual advertisements, but one stood out. It was a Linkin Park concert to be shown in another theater and best of all it was free. I had never heard of anything like this before, but it sounded interesting so I checked out their website - fathomevents.com. I registered and entered my cell number at that time. You had to do so in order to register. They sent me a text message that would later be used for my entry into the event.

The show

The show was quite unique. While it was not a live simulcast or anything it was still entertaining. It was quite innovative. They had the concert playing, but simultaneously they had a texting window at the bottom that was semi-transparent. On the right-hand side there would be contests and trivia. You answered the trivia via texting to a specific number for a chance to win prizes. I won 2 movie tickets. My wife also won 2 movie tickets. Nice so far.

You could also text to the number provided and your texts would potentially show up on the screen for all the other event participants to see. This interactivity was unique and added to the overall experience. You had a great band playing (albeit not live) on a big screen with great theater surround sound, chances to win prizes, and interactivity with the other members of the audience via text messaging. It was a cool event.

Where’s the money?

So I wondered. How the hell do they make money? At the end they gave us a survey. It was optional, but if you filled it out you got a $10 theater gift card. I filled one out. Not bad for 5 minutes of work.

From what I can gather this is how they make money:

• Advertisement before the show just like a regular movie
• Advertisement/contests on the sidebar. Most of the quizes were linked to some product. A clever one was “How many peanuts does it take to make a 16oz jar of peanut butter?” I don’t recall the answer, but the ad was for Jiff Peanut Butter. There were other ads for Sony and Sandisk media cards as well.

On the survey they had a question which asked “Would $20 be too much, too little, just right for this event if we were to charge?” I’m guessing this may be in the experimental/refinement stages. In my case $20 would be a good deal. I got entertainment, 2 movie tickets worth $16 + a $10 gift card = $26 worth of potential prize/bribes.

Windows Windows Everywhere

The show was not without glitch. Near the beginning a Windows screen popped up on the screen interrupting the show. Apparently Windows could not wait to let us know “Windows has detected new hardware”. It was quite funny and annoying at the same time. This had to be the largest Windows screen I’ve ever seen.

Interesting Day

It was an interesting unique experience. The drive home was not too dull either. We spotted a car that had ran into a subdivision sign. As you can see my Treo doesn’t take good night shots. Its not a very blogworthy phone. I wish I could have won that Sony Camera phone. What you see below is a Toyota Camry against a subdivision wall. A 4Runner would have been a better choice for such a nighttime escapade.