Tuesday, June 15, 2010
By ROY FURCHGOTT
Published: June 13, 2010
Best Buy is giving away a cellphone application intended to get audiences to use their phones during movies.
The free app, Best Buy Movie Mode, is being released in connection with Universal Pictures for the July 9 release of “Despicable Me,” an animated 3-D movie in which an aspiring supervillain named Gru inherits three little girls.
The marquee feature of the app is called the Minionator, which translates the gibberish of Gru’s little yellow henchmen called Minions. In theaters, the Minionator will work only during the closing credits, but when watching a Blu-ray disc, users can translate lines throughout the movie.
The app, being a movie promotion, tells people where “Despicable Me” is playing and also where Best Buy stores can be found. It will available for iPhones and Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones.
Best Buy Movie Mode would seem an anathema to film lovers who think that talking and texting already interfere with the theater experience. “It is disturbing to have people doing things that take people out of the movie,” said Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the National Association of Theater Owners. Many theaters warn patrons to turn off their phones.
Movie Mode tries to appease those who dislike distractions. The app automatically turns off a phone’s ringer and dims the screen to discourage texting. It does not disable the phone. It will still vibrate, so if the baby sitter calls with an emergency, parents can respond.
Mr. Corcoran predicted that people would not mind phones glowing if they were warned that a showing would feature Movie Mode. “If it is part of the advertising; you know what you are getting into ahead of time,” he said. Mr. Corcoran said he expected there would also have to be some special “No Movie Mode” showings.
Some movie houses already use a technology called MuVChat to let people text comments that are shown on the screen during a film.
Best Buy declined to say how the app might be used aside from “Despicable Me.” “We are not discussing that right now,” said Chris Homeister, general manger of home entertainment group at Best Buy. He said that the app would not become obsolete. “We believe this app has tremendous life after ‘Despicable Me,’ ” said Mr. Homeister.
Published: June 13, 2010
Best Buy is giving away a cellphone application intended to get audiences to use their phones during movies.
The free app, Best Buy Movie Mode, is being released in connection with Universal Pictures for the July 9 release of “Despicable Me,” an animated 3-D movie in which an aspiring supervillain named Gru inherits three little girls.
The marquee feature of the app is called the Minionator, which translates the gibberish of Gru’s little yellow henchmen called Minions. In theaters, the Minionator will work only during the closing credits, but when watching a Blu-ray disc, users can translate lines throughout the movie.
The app, being a movie promotion, tells people where “Despicable Me” is playing and also where Best Buy stores can be found. It will available for iPhones and Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones.
Best Buy Movie Mode would seem an anathema to film lovers who think that talking and texting already interfere with the theater experience. “It is disturbing to have people doing things that take people out of the movie,” said Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the National Association of Theater Owners. Many theaters warn patrons to turn off their phones.
Movie Mode tries to appease those who dislike distractions. The app automatically turns off a phone’s ringer and dims the screen to discourage texting. It does not disable the phone. It will still vibrate, so if the baby sitter calls with an emergency, parents can respond.
Mr. Corcoran predicted that people would not mind phones glowing if they were warned that a showing would feature Movie Mode. “If it is part of the advertising; you know what you are getting into ahead of time,” he said. Mr. Corcoran said he expected there would also have to be some special “No Movie Mode” showings.
Some movie houses already use a technology called MuVChat to let people text comments that are shown on the screen during a film.
Best Buy declined to say how the app might be used aside from “Despicable Me.” “We are not discussing that right now,” said Chris Homeister, general manger of home entertainment group at Best Buy. He said that the app would not become obsolete. “We believe this app has tremendous life after ‘Despicable Me,’ ” said Mr. Homeister.
Labels: