In the summer of 1999, a man named Sean Parker thought he could revolutionize the music industry. With Napster, the file-sharing era was born. Now, that same man intends to disrupt the box office.

According to VarietyParker's new venture, The Screening Room, hopes to ease tension between theaters and video-on-demand providers by allowing everyone to have their cake and eat it, too. The company's anti-piracy technology, built into home box office systems for a one-time charge of $150, will provide a secure platform for new theatrical releases to be screened from the comfort of your home — at up to $50 a pop.


The Screening Room is luring exhibitors and distributors into its model by cutting each a significant percentage of revenue, sometimes up to 50%. Variety reports that AMC, Universal, Fox, and Sony are currently interested, while Disney is not. 

Would you pay $50 not to go to the theaters? Would you want to screen your film with The Screening Room? Let us know in the comments.

Image Source: Flickr Creative Commons