Paramount Pictures Launching First Virtual Reality Movie Theater
[Philip Lelyveld comment: for this to be a social experience, the users will need a microphone. That is not yet a standard feature of VR headsets.]
On December 3, those consumers with any brand of VR headset can sign on to bigscreenvr.com and experience Top Gun 3D in what looks like a movie theater. Yes, you walk into a movie theater, complete with one-sheets and a theater seating. It will even have trailers prior to the main film. In addition, moviegoers will be seated in a virtual audience and can chat before the movie starts to everyone next to them or watching with them.
Then, for the next 24 hours and in 30-minute increments, VR headset users will be able watch Top Gun in 3D for free (Top Gun 3D is available now on Blu-ray). “This is a good example of what happens when you collaborate with Silicon Valley,” noted Tom Hayes, SVP New Media at Paramount.
Hayes first came across Bigscreen a year ago when it was “an enterprise productivity tool.” However, after he looked at what they were doing, he said to himself, “That’s a movie theater.” So six months ago, they began, in earnest, to develop a virtual movie theater. “It launches a possible new platform for the film business,” Hayes said.
See the full story here: http://deadline.com/2017/11/paramount-pictures-first-ever-virtual-reality-movie-theater-with-top-gun-3d-1202209276/