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'Infinity War' screenwriters say the deaths in the movie are 'real' and you should 'move on to the next stage of grief'

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  • "Avengers: Infinity War" screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely say that the deaths that happened in the movie are "real."
  • They also explain why some of the characters — like Captain America and Black Widow — didn't have a big part in this story. 

Warning: Major spoilers below if you haven't seen "Avengers: Infinity War."

Yeah, that ending to "Avengers: Infinity War" was pretty heavy, and according to the movie's screenwriters you should just deal with the fact that some your favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe characters aren't coming back for the sequel. 

In an interview with BuzzFeed, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely made a point to say that the fourth "Avengers" movie, which is also the conclusion to what took place in "Infinity War," is going to be different.

“['Avengers 4'] doesn’t do what you think it does,” Markus said. “Also … [the deaths are] real. I just want to tell you it’s real, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to move on to the next stage of grief.”

Wow! 

McFeely added: “Put it this way. I think ['Infinity War'] is a fairly mature movie for a blockbuster. It’s got a lot of fun in it, obviously, but boy, it gets very mature. The second one is also mature. We’re going to own these choices, and hopefully surprise and delight you and get you invested. It’s by the same studio, the same filmmaking team. They were written at the same time, shot at the same time. They’re clearly connected, but they are definitely two different movies, one of which is dependent on what happened previous.”

Obviously the writing duo didn't want to give away what happens in the next movie, but you have to wonder now if some (or all) of the heroes that faded away at the end of the movie aren't coming back. It's almost certain that those who perished before the end — Loki, Heimdall, Gamora, and Vision — are definitely not coming back.

Infinity War

But if you weren't already freaking out that Black Panther, Groot, Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Bucky, and the rest won't be back to take on Thanos in the next movie, these comments are really going to throw you for a loop.

According to the comics, things are brought back to normal, but perhaps it won't be that simple in the movies.

Markus and McFeely also noted that there was a reason why beloved characters like Captain America and Black Widow were not heavily featured in "Infinity War."

“Some characters were better served in movie two after this event," McFeely said. "We were making some choices based on some characters we knew were going to leave us at the end of the first movie, so they got highlighted in the first movie. And some who were going to be in the second movie more maybe got less attention or less screen time [in 'Infinity War'] — I'm thinking of Cap and Natasha, specifically. It's about the story we wanted to tell in movie two, mostly.” 

We'll see how everything plays out and who's really dead when "Avengers 4" comes out in 2019.

SEE ALSO: MoviePass returns to its one-movie-a-day plan after capping new subscribers at 4 movies a month

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie' 15 years later

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Hilary Duff and Yani Gellman Lizzie McGuire Movie premiere 2003

Fifteen years ago, beloved Disney Channel star Hilary Duff brought her iconic TV character into the movie universe with "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." This was the first feature film Disney released in theaters that was based on one of its original TV series

Now the cast of "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" is scattered around the country, with some working on new hit TV shows and others retired from Hollywood life altogether.

Keep reading to see where the main stars of "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" are today. 

"The Lizzie McGuire" movie follows our title character as she graduates from eighth grade and embarks on a life-changing trip to Rome.

After Lizzie fumbles during her graduation and brings down the whole stage, she's eager to escape the country. 



Duff also played Isabella, a famous Italian singer who happens to be Lizzie's doppelganger.

The two wind up sharing a stage and the spotlight at the end of the movie after Isabella's former singing partner Paulo is outed as a fraud. 



Since the movie's premiere, Duff has released five studio albums and is now starring on TVLand's "Younger."

TVLand's series "Younger" tells the story of single mother trying to revitalize her working life by posing as a millennial. Duff stars as one of the co-workers featured in this TV series. Duff has one son with her ex-husband, NHL player Mike Comrie.



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A college student DMed Michael B. Jordan for a picture together — and he actually did it

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  • College student Sylvia Wilson wanted to hang out with Michael B. Jordan, who was filming a movie on campus.
  • She sent him a message on Instagram asking if she could buy him a smoothie.
  • He turned down the smoothie, but they met up and took photos together.
  • "He was really really nice. He just came with open arms," Wilson told INSIDER.

 

Sylvia Wilson wanted to meet "Black Panther" star Michael B. Jordan. So she just asked him if they could hang out.

And it worked.

"He was really really nice. He just came with open arms," Wilson told INSIDER.

When Wilson, a junior at Temple University, saw Jordan was filming "Creed 2" on campus Tuesday, she sent him a direct message on Instagram and offered to buy him a smoothie, as first reported by BuzzFeed.

To her surprise, Jordan responded. He said the smoothie was unnecessary, but he invited her to the film set for a photo.

"I asked him, 'Do you want me to get you a smoothie in exchange for a picture?' and he DMed me back a couple hours later and was like, 'OK, you don’t have to buy me a smoothie. Just come to the trailer later and we’ll take a pic.'"

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Jordan arranged things with the set's security team, and Wilson and several of her friends hung out with Jordan and took pictures.

Sadly, after awhile, a crowd started to form and Jordan had to bail.

"He didn’t really want that," Wilson said. "He originally said only six people could come because he didn’t want a whole bunch of people knowing that he was on campus."

sylvia michael b jordan selfie

After their meeting, Wilson said people asked her what Jordan smelled like. She jokingly compared it to the Mahogany Teakwood scent at Bath & Body Works.

"He kind of did smell like that. But I was like joking around when I said it," Wilson said. "I don’t know why people were asking why he smelled like. ... It was so random."

Wilson's meeting with Jordan went viral when she tweeted out photos of them later that day.

The attention caught her by surprise.

"I am a big Marvel person," Wilson said. "I just thought it would be cool, since he was on campus, to take a picture if I could."

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Ryan Reynolds says he uses the popular meditation app Headspace to cope with anxiety

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  • Ryan Reynolds told the New York Times that he uses the meditation app Headspace to cope with an anxiety that he has "always had."
  • Headspace, a popular app among Olympic athletes, Wall Street executives, and a number of celebrities, teaches meditation through breathing exercises and visualization.
  • Reynolds, whose film "Deadpool 2" premieres this month, said he uses the app before promotional interviews and talk-show appearances. 
  • He also said that he finds relief by conducting most of his recent interviews in character, as Deadpool.  

In a New York Times profile promoting his upcoming film "Deadpool 2," Ryan Reynolds discussed how he copes with anxiety, which, as the Times wrote, makes him "often, quite secretly, a nervous wreck."

Reynolds told the Times that he uses the meditation app Headspace before promotional interviews and talk-show appearances to quell the anxiety that he said he has "always had."

"I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety," Reynolds said. "Both in the lighthearted 'I’m anxious about this' kind of thing, and I’ve been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun."

Headspace, a popular app among Olympic athletes, Wall Street executives, and a number of celebrities, has around 8.5 active million active users, according to the company's most recent report on its user base.

The app has a straightforward set-up that teaches you how to meditate through breathing exercises and visualization. For an in-depth take on the app, you can read this Business Insider feature on Headspace from 2016.

In addition to using Headspace, Reynolds said that he also finds relief by conducting most of his recent interviews in character, as Deadpool.  

“When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set,” he said. "That’s that great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you’re going to jump off a cliff, you might as well fly.”

SEE ALSO: The 50 Disney movies that made the most money at the US box office

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Diablo Cody details the overwhelming parts of parenthood that inspired her new movie 'Tully'

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  • Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody ("Juno") teams with director Jason Reitman for a third time to make the Charlize Theron-starring drama "Tully."
  • Cody talked to Business Insider about how the challenges of raising a third child inspired the script.

Since her meteoric rise after the success of the 2007 movie “Juno,” which earned her an Oscar for best original screenplay, Diablo Cody has taken audiences on an entertaining and emotional journey of women going through real-world situations.

In “Juno,” it’s navigating an unplanned teen pregnancy. “Young Adult” shows a woman trying to find her footing after a divorce. And her latest, “Tully” (in theaters Friday), dissects the claustrophobic feeling of being a middle-aged mom who feels helpless in her situation.

Though “Juno,” Young Adult,” and “Tully” are all directed by Jason Reitman, he is in many ways just those movies’ vessel. The heart and soul of these titles is Cody.

From stripper to Oscar winner

Cody, whose real name is Brook Busey-Maurio, came to notoriety during the blog craze of the early 2000s. Ditching a career path down the corporate world after graduating college, she started writing fictional blogs under pen names and on a whim began stripping. She used that colorful world to write her first book under the name Diablo Cody at the age of 27, the memoir “Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper.”

Juno Fox SearchlightTwo years later, “Juno” was in theaters and soon after that Cody was on stage holding an Oscar thanks to her witty dialogue and a fresh storytelling approach.

Since then, Cody has become a fixture in Hollywood. She’s the co-creator behind TV series “United States of Tara” and “One Mississippi,” but her work on the big screen is where we know her best. Along with “Tully,” marking her third collaboration with Reitman, it’s their second with actress Charlize Theron (she was the star in “Young Adult”).

But are audiences still interested in going to the movies for Cody’s stories?

Ignoring the latest trends

In today’s market most dramas, outside of prestige year-end releases for Oscar consideration, are being told as cable limited series or on streaming, leaving massive superhero blockbusters to clog up the movie theaters.

Cody admitted she didn’t give that much thought when writing the script for “Tully,” but realized the gamble.

“There was no moment where I sat down and thought, ‘Well, maybe this is for Hulu,’” Cody told Business Insider. “And to be honest, it probably would have been a better commercial impulse to do something like that because the smaller more intimate stories are being told on cable and streaming right now.”

The movie’s distributor, Focus Features, is certainly not looking for “Infinity War”-sized box office returns, but taking a long-tail approach. The hope is to attract audiences that aren’t into the MCU and other blockbusters in the weeks to come and are looking for something with a little more real-world substance. “Tully" is sporting a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, so that helps, too.

Finding therapy in the work

In “Tully,” Theron plays Marlo, a mother of three — including a newborn — who is just trying to get through every day without completely losing it. She’s overwhelmed from making all the meals, dropping off and picking up from school, and also having a special needs child. So to the rescue comes her brother, Craig (Mark Duplass), who gives her the number of Tully (Mackenzie Davis), a “night nanny” who will clean and take care of her newborn while Marlo gets some much needed sleep.

Marlo and Tully soon build a strong bond. This is a welcomed new addition seeing as Marlo's relationship with her husband Drew (Ron Livingston) has stalled. But things begin to unravel in the third act, which leads to an incredible revelation.

tully Focus Features finalLike a lot of Cody’s work, “Tully” comes from her own experiences.

“Right after I had my third son I was feeling way more overwhelmed than I ever had as a parent,” Cody said. “I was kind of under a lot of professional pressure at the time, too. I had this big script I was supposed to deliver to a studio, and I was failing. I was obviously sleep deprived. I just started writing ‘Tully.’ And it felt good. It was a therapeutic exercise.”

From the morning rituals that need to be done with a special needs child, cooking a frozen pizza for dinner because you’re too tired to make a meal, and even accidentally dropping your phone on your baby while getting in the car, “Tully” doesn’t hold back on anything and delivers a powerful story. But it will give parents in the audience major PTSD.

“I’ve always been all about laying it out there,” Cody said when asked if she regretted putting anything in the movie.

And Cody hopes that warts-and-all approach will lead to audiences being interested in coming to theaters to see the movie and not waiting for it to be available at their homes.

“Writing a smaller movie like ‘Tully’ and putting it in theaters is risky,” she said. “But I was willing to take that risk.”

SEE ALSO: The 5 confirmed Marvel Cinematic Universe movies after "Avengers: Infinity War"

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Everyone who died in 'Avengers: Infinity War,' ranked from least surprising to most heart-wrenching

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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "Avengers: Infinity War."

Now that "Avengers: Infinity War" has been in theaters for a little bit, we need to talk about the many deaths throughout the movie. 

In case you're still debating whether or not the deaths at the movie's end actually happened, "Infinity War" screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have said they're real "and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to move on to the next stage of grief."

Well, consider this our grieving stage.

INSIDER went through every death in the film ranking them from the least shocking to the ones that hit you the hardest. We're only looking at characters who we see killed or who vanish on screen during the movie's climactic end. So we're not putting the Collector in here. For all we know, he's still out there with Kraglin!

If you haven't seen the movie, we suggest you don't read this until you get around to seeing it in theaters. If you have, grab a tissue and let's discuss.

SEE ALSO: The 50 Disney movies that made the most money at the US box office

16. Heimdell

If you didn't watch "Thor: Ragnarok," you may have forgotten Idris Elba was a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's tough to keep a big actor like Elba in the MCU when he's playing a smaller role.

Since Asgard was destroyed in "Ragnarok," it didn't seem like there was much point in keeping him around. Heimdell was the guard of the bridge that connected Asgard to Earth. Thor can now travel anywhere with his new Stormbreaker weapon.

Still, we didn't expect Thanos to drive Heimdell's sword straight through him as his buddy Thor was forced to watch. Cold.



15. Vision

Vision's days were numbered the moment Thanos went stone searching. 

We knew the mind stone was probably going to get ripped out of Vision's head at some point of "Infinity War." The real question was whether or not he could be separated and survive without the stone before it was taken from him. That answer became a resounding no.

We more or less were looking for any sort of glimmer of hope that there was a way to prevent his death before the movie debuted. But by the time there was a third attempt on his life, we were ready for Thanos to get it over with.

Maybe Shuri has some code for Vision backed up somewhere in her lab to help reboot him in the next movie. 



14. Maria Hill

Were we shocked to see the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the movie at all? Yes. Were we surprised to see her minor character vanish after she turned up in a post-credits scene? Not much.

Hill just doesn't have much emotional weight in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Avengers: Infinity War' directors admitted they put misdirects in trailers on purpose to 'stay ahead of' fans

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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "Avengers: Infinity War."

Joe and Anthony Russo reveal they deliberately used misdirection in Avengers: Infinity War marketing, particularly in the trailers to make sure fans can crack the film’s overall narrative prematurely.

Having directed four films for Marvel (including next year’s Avengers 4), the directing duo has somewhat mastered the art of keeping secrets despite numerous press junkets and interviews. But they also intentionally threw off people from piecing together what actually goes down in the latest MCU installment via the misdirection on the movie’s previews.

It’s not a secret that the MCU has an engaged fan-base resulting in countless online forums dissecting the films in the hopes of finding fun tidbits or even clues about what the future holds for their beloved characters. While it’s always great to have an active fandom, this creates problems for Marvel Studios with regard to keeping plot details under wraps. And with Infinity War their biggest undertaking yet, the Russos couldn’t risk even the slightest possibility that people found out about the movie before it even rolled out in theaters.

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In an interview with Variety, Joe talked about how he and his brother pulled off in balancing what narrative to follow in Infinity War. Despite being (loosely) based on Jim Starlin’s 1992 comic book run, Marvel Studios tweaked several aspects of the stories to keep it interesting.

To maintain the secrecy of the film, the two admit to having crafted the film’s trailers to seemingly drop hints about what goes down in the movie, but in reality, they’re masking its real plot. For instance, the trailers looked like they were setting up the deaths of Iron Man and maybe even Cap, but in the end, they, alongside a few others, survived Thanos’ universal genocide.

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For the record, it’s not an unusual practice, especially in high-profile flicks, but the misdirect could’ve easily been viewed as false advertising. But for some reason, fans understood why it needed to be done. It’s even more interesting considering that shots of the actual end of the blockbuster were included in the previews, only that people’s theories about the said sequences were so way off.

Aside from the deliberate misdirection in trailers, the Russos also made sure that the cast and crew involved in the movie are tightlipped about Infinity War.

That included the actors not receiving full scripts, others even getting fake ones. Days before the movie screened for the first time in full, the directing duo sent out a plea to everyone to not intentionally spoil the film to others. The leaks were contained, but given the internet culture, it was only a matter of time before people started openly talking about the movie with no regard to those who may not have seen it yet. Nevertheless, Marvel Studios did a fine job preserving the blockbuster’s secrecy as much as they could.

There was, however, a clue about the shocking ending of Avengers: Infinity War courtesy of the film’s poster. As Thanos’ life-mission is to balance the universe, half of the heroes in the ensemble one-sheet were killed, while the remaining half survived the random genocide. Although while it’s now easily viewed that way, arguably no one has seen that coming, especially considering that most of the dead characters are expected to move past Phase 3.

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14 celebrities who love 'Star Wars' as much as you

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The "Star Wars" fandom knows no bounds. Even celebrities are obsessed with a galaxy far, far away.

From Princes William and Harry to cosplaying actors, here are celebrities you didn't know were obsessed with "Star Wars."

Madison Malone Kircher contributed to a previous version of this story.

Kevin Smith said visiting the "Star Wars" set made him cry.

When "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director invited Smith to visit the film's set in England, Smith took him up on the offer.

Smith posted a teary-eyed Instagram picture and said being on set made him feel young again.

"When I was a kid, I liked 'Star Wars,' and now I'm on the 'Star Wars' set," the actor told the LA Times of the experience. "The moment I stepped on the Millennium Falcon 10 years dropped off my life."



"Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe also visited the set of "The Force Awakens."

Radcliffe became a "Star Wars" fan late in life, but when he did he fell in love with the movies. He told Conan O'Brien he crashed the set of the "The Force Awakens" because he knew most of the Potter crew was working on the film.

Radcliffe also dressed up as Boba Fett for a Halloween episode of "The Ellen Show."



Tina Fey has a love for all things Leia.

When Tina Fey walked down the aisle as Liz Lemon in the last season of "30 Rock," it was dressed in Princess Leia's classic white robe and twin hair buns.

"It's the only white dress I own," Lemon quips.

In real life, Fey was spotted wearing a "Vote Princess Leia" shirt on "Saturday Night Live" in 2008.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how big 'Star Wars' ships are compared to real-life objects

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Exactly how big is the Millennium Falcon? How about Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle?

We used measurements from "Star Wars: the Force Awakens" book "Incredible Cross-Sections" to compare the ships in the new film to iconic monuments and real-world animals and objects.

Keep reading to see how big the Millennium Falcon, Rey's speeder, and more are in real life.

Let's start with something relatively small. Rey's Speeder isn't too large.



You could compare Poe Dameron's X-Wing to the size of a yacht.



Other ships are a lot larger. If you've ever seen the Rockefeller Christmas tree in person, Han Solo's ship would just edge it out.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

All the 'Star Wars' movies, ranked from worst to best

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It's May 4, so it's the one day of the year that "Star Wars" fans can completely geek out (well, until the next movie — which will be "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on May 25).

So to celebrate "May the 4th be with You" (get it), and go back and rank all the feature-length "Star Wars" movies.

From "The Last Jedi" to those polarizing prequels, here's where they all stand from best to worst.

SEE ALSO: The top 20 Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes, ranked from worst to best

9. "Attack of the Clones" (2002)

It's a movie I struggle with ranking every year. I watched it again recently and I'm back on the disapprove side. There's a lot to enjoy about the second episode in the prequels — mainly, how Ewan McGregor has fit into the Obi-Wan Kenobi role nicely. The movie focuses heavily on his storyline as he encounters Jango and Boba Fett as well as Count Dooku. From a nostalgic standpoint, the last third of the movie brings to life dreams you've had for decades, as Lucas gives us the start of the Clone Wars as well as Yoda having a lightsaber battle. But the agony of watching the Anakin Skywalker/Padmé Amidala storyline was just too much for me in this latest viewing. (I'm sure I'll change the placement of this title again next year.)



8. "The Phantom Menace" (1999)

George Lucas has said from the beginning that "Star Wars" was made for kids, and he really took that to heart when he unveiled "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," 16 years after finishing the groundbreaking original trilogy. Introducing us to Anakin at the age of 9 as he's plucked by Qui-Gon Jinn as the "chosen one" who will bring balance to the Force, the first prequel gives us a lot of tame action and unlikely scenarios for Anakin to be in, even in a galaxy far, far away.

The best part of the movie is its villain, Darth Maul, who has an incredible duel with the Jedi at the end of the movie. It's one of the only goose-bump moments in the whole movie — heightened by John Williams' score — and, sadly, you have to wait over an hour to get to it.

Yes, this is the movie that introduced us to Jar Jar Binks. That is all I'll say about that.



7. "Revenge of the Sith" (2005)

The conclusion of the prequel trilogy is one of the saga's darkest. A grown Anakin is seduced by the dark side of the Force and wipes out the Jedi, including the younglings (!). Padmé dies, but not before giving birth to their twins, Luke and Leia.

The most agonizing part of this movie to sit through is Hayden Christensen's performance as Skywalker conflicted with the dark side — more a sniveling 20-something than a disillusioned "chosen one." We don't get a good performance of that pull to the dark side until Adam Driver comes along to play Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens." We can only partly blame Christensen: Lucas was never big on giving actors instructions, which proved here to be costly.

On the bright side: Another excellent performance by McGregor as Kenobi, and the duel at the end of the move between Skywalker and Kenobi is worth the wait.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

MoviePass competitor Sinemia unveils plans starting at $4.99 a month

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  • Movie ticket subscription service Sinemia has announced a new price plan to compete with MoviePass. 
  • It ranges from $4.99 a month for one 2D ticket to $14.99 a month for three tickets to any movie, including 3D, 4D, or IMAX.
  • And you can see the same movie as many times as you want with the service.


Watch out MoviePass, you have some serious competition.

Sinemia, a movie ticket subscription service that is prominent in other regions of the world, is looking to become the leader in the US by unveiling its cheapest plan ever.

On Friday, the company announced new pricing plans for is subscribers that start at $4.99 a month.

Here are how the new plans break down:

  • $4.99 per month: One ticket to any 2D movie.
  • $6.99 per month: Two tickets to any 2D movie.
  • $9.99 per month: Two tickets to any movie, including 3D, 4D, and IMAX formats.
  • $14.99 per month: Three ticket to any movie, including 3D, 4D, and IMAX formats.

Like MoviePass, Sinemia is constantly coming up with different rates to attract new subscribers. In the past there’s been a $9.99 per month price for a single ticket, and a $18.99 per month couples plan that offered two tickets per month.

However, there are some major differences between Sinemia and MoviePass.

Sinemia offers premium tickets (3D, 4D, IMAX) in its plans. You don’t have to be at the theater to use the service, and can order from anywhere you are through the app (even get a ticket up to 30 days ahead of time). And you can go back and see the same movie with the service.

moviepass business insiderMoviePass, which recently went back to its one-movie-per-day $9.95 monthly plan, only allows its subscribers to see movies that are in 2D and changed its terms so you can only see a movie once. But with MoviePass, you could theoretically see 30 movies in theaters for about $10 a month, so for heavy moviegoers it's quite a different value proposition.

In February, Sinemia announced it would become available in the United States for the first time. For years, Sinemia has been available in other parts of the world like the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, and Australia. 

Currently, Sinemia is available at over 4,000 movie theaters throughout the US, according to the company. 

Movie ticket subscription services outside of the US are very common, but with the attention MoviePass has received here in the States, with over 2 million subscribers since last summer when it dropped its monthly price down to $9.95 (Sinemia declined to tell Business Insider the number of subscribers it has in the US or globally), this seems to be a burgeoning space in the movie-theater industry. 

Along with Sinemia, which has been in existence since 2014, and MoviePass, Cinemark recently launched Movie Club, which allows customers to buy one ticket a month at $8.99 (unused tickets roll over to the following month).

Though a solid business model is still unclear, expect to see more companies jump in this space and try to figure it out.  

SEE ALSO: If you loved "Karate Kid" you need to watch "Cobra Kai" on YouTube Red

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38 major deaths in the 'Star Wars' movies, ranked from saddest to completely deserved

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It's May the Fourth, and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is coming to theaters in a few weeks (May 25), so the galaxy far far away has been on our minds a lot lately. 

"Star Wars" is literally about war in the sky, which means that a lot of lives have been lost along the way.

But somehow, General Hux is still alive.

Some of the characters lost throughout the "Star Wars" films have been in our lives for decades, like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. And some had small but powerful roles in just one movie that made us shed a lot of tears despite their brevity, like Amilyn Holdo in "The Last Jedi."

But with some characters, we couldn't wait for them to die. So when they did, we were cheering (Jabba the Hutt, Palpatine).

We ranked 38 notable deaths from the movies, from the porg Chewie cooked to Obi Wan Kenobi. We chose the deaths of characters who had names, had more than a few lines, and/or had some kind of impact on a major plot point or a major character.

Here's the Star Wars deaths ranked, from least tragic to most tragic:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best superhero movies of all time, ranked

38. Jabba the Hutt

When: "Return of the Jedi"

Cause of death: Leia chokes him with the chains he bound her in. 

Jabba was awful, and we're glad Leia was the one who got to end his days. 



37. Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious

When: "Return of the Jedi"

Cause of death: Falls down the reactor shaft of the second Death Star when Darth Vader turns on him to save Luke's life.

Finally! It was about time Palpatine fell down a reactor shaft. His death was not sad, but it was an emotional moment for the Skywalker boys. 



36. Grand Moff Tarkin

When: "A New Hope"

Cause of death: He's inside the Death Star when the Rebel Alliance destroys it. 

Tarkin served his purpose. He was an example of an evil person within the Empire that isn't Vader or the Emperor. His death was karma getting back at him for destroying Alderaan with such enthusiasm. 



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31 things you didn't know about the making of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

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Warning: There are some spoilers ahead if you have not seen "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is finally available to stream and the digital copy of the movie comes with a lot of extra features including deleted scenes and a director's commentary.

INSIDER went through the film's commentary and "The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi," a book which takes a deep dive into the concept art and ideas that went into the four-plus years of making the sequel.

While both don't answer every question we have after seeing the latest installment of "Star Wars," they do shed light on some of the early inspiration for "The Last Jedi."

Keep reading to see what we learned about the making of the movie.

SEE ALSO: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson reacts to the backlash and addresses the movie's most shocking moments

The beginning of the movie was supposed to be completely different.

The film was originally supposed to start with Finn.

"Originally, I had this very clever visual idea where we would come down and find John [Boyega] in the dome, kind of healing bacta suit," director Rian Johnson says in "The Last Jedi" commentary.

The alternate opening, which is available on the film's home release, would have started out with the film tilting down making you think you're seeing the top of a planet. In reality, it's revealed to be a dome that Finn is under. Johnson said it just wasn't necessary.

"I realized as we started actually watching the movie with that opening, it was kind of too clever, and it just took too long," he added. "I realized you just have to get to it as quickly as possible. So we kind of reconfigured this new opening where we just leap into the thick of things."



Rey could have interacted with Luke's old X-wing ship.

One early idea was for Rey to stumble upon Luke's old X-wing in the caves on Ahch-To.

"Rey explores the island, trying to understand Luke's self-imposed exile from the universe. She comes across a cave, sunk at high tide within the base of the island," wrote visual effects art director Kevin Jenkins. "Here she discovers Luke's scuttled T-65 X-wing, rusted and rotting away in the water. It was set alight before it sank. It shows Luke's commitment to his exile, as he destroyed his only means of leaving the planet."

Instead, director Rian Johnson went with designs similar to Skywalker's sunken ship painted by artist Doug Chiang in 2013 off the island's coast. 



Luke Skywalker's character was inspired by Marlon Brando in "Apocalypse Now."

Colonel Kurtz (Brando) is the antagonist of the 1979 movie who goes rogue and is believed to have gone insane. Luke has some parallels to the decorated war officer in "The Last Jedi," in which he's a tortured man cut off from the rest of the world. However, the Master Jedi is able to find peace by the film's end.



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16 cameos you probably missed while watching 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

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finn rose the last jedi

Warning: There are spoilers ahead if you haven't seen "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" surprised fans with the return of an iconic character, but it also delivered a lot of unexpected cameos you may have missed from celebrities and actors.

2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" also had plenty of cameos ranging from superfan Simon Pegg to 007, Daniel Craig. So it should be of little surprise that more celebrities wanted in this time around.

From princes to musicians and a second secret role for Mark Hamill, keep reading to see who popped up in "The Last Jedi."

SEE ALSO: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson reacts to the backlash and addresses the movie's most shocking moments

"The Leftovers" actor Justin Theroux played an important minor role on Canto Bight.

Let's start with an easy one. Theroux played the master codebreaker Finn and Rose were searching for on Canto Bight. You may have been thrown off by the accent and graying hair.



Model and actress Lily Cole plays the woman on his arm, Lovey.

Did you spot the actress on the master codebreaker's arm?



Carrie Fisher's dog, Gary, inspired a space dog on Canto Bight.

His cameo was first noted on Twitter earlier in December. You can actually spot Gary in one of the film's official photos.

Director Rian Johnson confirmed the "space Gary" role on Twitter to an eagle-eyed viewer

 



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There are at least 7 more 'Star Wars' movies in the works — here's everything we know

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"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" launched a franchise reboot in 2015 and it's not going anywhere soon.

Between multiple TV projects, franchise movies, and spin-offs, it feels like we're going to return to a galaxy far, far away once a year for the rest of our lives. In addition to "Solo," in theaters May 25, Lucasfilm has "Episode IX," another spin-off, and a whole new trilogy.

Here's everything "Star Wars" fans can expect to see on the big screen.

SEE ALSO: The 50 Disney movies that made the most money at the US box office

A Han Solo spin-off movie is coming this month called "Solo."

The movie originally featured Chris Miller and Phil Lord as directors. In June 2017, after principal photography on the film had already started, Lucasfilm announced the two left due to "creative differences."

Ron Howard came in to replace the directors.



The movie stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo.

The rest of the cast includes Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones", Thandie Newton ("Westworld"), Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Donald Glover ("Atlanta") as Lando Calrissian. Paul Bettany is playing a crime boss named Dryden Vos.

You can read more on Ehrenreich here.



The movie will show how Solo meets and becomes friends with Chewbacca and gambler Lando Calrissian.

The movie will be in theaters May 25, 2018.



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One of the directors of 'Avengers: Infinity War' confirmed a theory about one of the most surprising deaths in the movie

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thanos gauntlet

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "Avengers: Infinity War."

"Avengers: Infinity War" director Joe Russo recently sat down with a group of students at Iowa City High School where he answered some questions about the movie. 

During the Q&A, he answered a question fans had about Gamora and the orange soul stone Thanos seeks to acquire and it clears up the most confusing part of the movie.

This is your last chance to head back before spoilers.

What happens in the movie

gamora avengers infinity war

Thanos and his adopted daughter Gamora travel to the planet Vormir so he can retrieve an Infinity stone. In order to obtain it, Thanos is told he needs to sacrifice a loved one. Unfortunately for Gamora, she is the only person Thanos has ever loved. She has to go if Thanos wants execute his grand plan of wiping out half of the universe.

After Gamora is thrown off the cliff, we see Thanos wake up in the water away from the mountain. Everything surrounding him is orange and he speaks with a young Gamora. When she disappears, he finds the orange soul stone in his hand. It's a bit of a confusing scene. 

Where was Thanos and why was he seeing a childlike version of Gamora again? Russo broke it down confirming what some fans thought.

What it means

thanos infinity war

After Gamora falls to her death, Russo said the entire dreamlike sequence Thanos experiences is inside the soul stone. 

"It’s implied it’s the soul stone. It’s all orange around, then he’s inside the soul stone with the amount of power that it took to snap his fingers — he has this out of body experience," Russo told the crowd of students. "When he goes inside the soul stone, he has this kind of conversation with the younger version of his Gamora."

Mystery solved. 

But it didn't stop there. It turns out Gamora is actually in the soul stone!

"She in fact is yes," said Russo. "It was an attempt on our part- because we don’t like two dimensional roles or three dimensional villains. Every villain is a hero in their own story and as insane and psychotic and brutal and violent as Thanos is, he’s a more complex villain if you go on a journey with him emotionally. He does care for things and it is complicated for him to execute his plan and it cost him something."

Now Thanos is being reminded of his choice to sacrifice his adopted daughter every day he looks at the soul stone.

How is that possible?

One of the powers of the soul stone in the comics is to collect and steal souls. Some fans thought Gamora may just be trapped in the soul stone. That seems to be the case.

Wait. So could we see Gamora again?

Gamora Avengers Infinity War trailer

Don't get overly excited. While her soul may be inside the stone, her body was thrown off a cliff. 

If the soul stone was given up, it's not clear whether or not Gamora could be brought back. However, we have a feeling time travel is going to come into play in the next "Avengers" movie, so don't be surprised if we do see Gamora again.

You can follow along with our "Avengers: Infinity War" coverage here.

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I just watched a 'Star Wars' film for the first time and I didn't get the hype — sorry

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star wars

  • The first "Star Wars" film was released 20 years before I was born.
  • Although both of my brothers are huge fans of the film franchise, I've never had an interest in it.  
  • I simply can't get past the fact that "Vader" literally translates to "Father."
  • No, I will not be watching any of the "Star Wars" films on May 4th.
  • But that doesn't mean you shouldn't.

May is the month of memes. On the first day of the month, Twitter and Instagram timelines are flooded with the infamous picture of Justin Timberlake from his *NSYNC days, captioned with "It's Gonna Be May," instead of the hit boy-band song "It's Gonna Be Me." The joke has run its course but nevertheless, fans take to the internet every May 1st to share their love for the meme.

And only a few days later, on May 4th, is #StarWarsDay. In place of the NSYNC memes are pictures, usually of one of the movie's leading characters, captioned with "May The Fourth Be With You."

But maybe I don't really get the humor because I've never seen one of the original "Star Wars" movies. The force—or fourth, if you will—is not with me.

The first "Star Wars" film came out in 1977, nearly 20 years before I was born. At the time of my birth, the original trilogy of the worldwide film franchise had already been completed and released to the public. By the time I was 8, the prequel trilogy was out and I had still never watched a second of the any of the six films.

Not because I didn't have the opportunity: Both of my older brothers were obsessed with the film, investing in merchandise and dressing up for the midnight showings.

I remember once, on the night that "Revenge of the Sith" was released, my oldest brother and his gang of "Star Wars" loving friends dressed up to head to the midnight showing. I was both intrigued by their costumes yet baffled why five or so 20-year-olds were so obsessed with the franchise.

I've tried watching some of the original films before. It's lasted approximately 10 or 15 minutes before I've turned the television off, bored by the 1977 original film. I'd much rather be watching the "High School Musical" trilogy — which, by the way, deserves even more movies than "Star Wars," in my opinion, for its iconic cast — or binge-watching "Gossip Girl." Catch me any day of the week and I've probably watched either of those (or, more likely, both) in the previous few days.

last jedi

But in my teenage years, I decided to give "Star Wars" a try. I bought a ticket, sat in the theater, and watched "The Force Awakens," the first film in the sequel trilogy of "Star Wars."

And yes, it was good. The cinematography was great, obviously likely much better than in the 1977 film. The story was entertaining and action-packed, suspenseful at moments and intriguing at others. But once the film was over, I still wasn't hooked. Sure, it was a good movie, but what was all the hype about? I just couldn't understand the intense fascination with the franchise.

For me, the film was nothing new. Beautifully done, yes, but somewhat derivative from the original movies (which I had read about prior to attending the screening). The plot lacked a sense of originality and so, I found it to be entertaining yet nothing mind-blowing or game-changing.

My lack of obsession with the film likely strings back to the fact that I wasn't even born when the first three films were released.

I was late to the party and, by the time I was old enough to understand words and develop an attention span long enough to sit through an entire film, my interests had nothing to do with "Star Wars." Maybe if I was born in 1987 like my eldest brother or even 1994 like my other sibling, I would have become a fan. And maybe if I would have seen the films back then, I wouldn't have found the new one dull, but more nostalgic. But "Star Wars" is just not for me.

Here's what I can't understand: the world-shattering moment where Darth Vader reveals — spoiler alert — that he is Luke Skywalker's father. It's a moment that many hold as one of the biggest cinematic reveals in history. And yes, in essence, it's groundbreaking.

darth vader

But as Anna Kendrick kindly points out in "Pitch Perfect," the word "Vader" is Dutch for "Father."

Vader literally means father. Do you want to tell me that no one could have predicted that before the big reveal?

Either way, "Star Wars" just isn't my thing. If you love it, that's great! Enjoy #StarWarsDay and may the fourth be with you. But please, don't bombard me with questions of why I've never watched the films or tell me that I have to give them a chance.

Please, go ahead and binge-watch the film franchise today and let me be as I enjoy the fact that "High School Musical 3" is now on Netflix.

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Thanks to Thanos, 'Avengers: Infinity War' is Marvel's 'The Empire Strikes Back'

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  • Thanos is one of the most complex and fully formed villains ever put on screen.
  • Because of that, "Avengers: Infinity War" is the MCU's "The Empire Strikes Back."


Warning: Major spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Villains in superhero movies are usually forgettable.

In this latest era of the genre, many times they are ominous figures in the background of the story who suddenly appear — often in some ugly ship — to take on our hero, who (if the storytelling was done correctly) we now have a vested interest in. The bad guy, on the other hand, we know little about and is just there to be used as the good guys’ last obstacle in the movie.

It’s something audiences have complained about a lot since Marvel Studios kicked off the latest superhero craze with “Iron Man” in 2008. Gone are the days of Gene Hackman as the wisecracking Lex Luthor (in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies) or Jack Nicholson as the playfully deranged Joker (in Michael Keaton’s Batman). Now it’s CGI goliaths that give us little to care about, audiences have said.

These CGI-heavy villains are often compared unfavorably to one of the greatest of all time, Heath Ledger’s Joker in the Christian Bale-era Batman movies.

the dark knight jokerThat performance, which led to Ledger receiving a posthumous supporting actor Oscar win, is so special because Ledger and director Christopher Nolan took the time to craft an arc for the character.

And that’s the biggest thing. If the creatives go into the project dedicated to giving their villain more than just a mean backstory, the movie itself becomes a better experience.

But recently, the MCU has featured more nuanced villains, and it has led to critical acclaim and lots of box office coin.

Sony’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” gave us a grounded villain in Vulture, played by Michael Keaton. He's a blue collar guy who finally found a way to make some money in this world thanks to Chitauri technology, despite doing illegal things with the tech. A well-grounded interest that audiences can relate to was just one of the aspects of the movie that led to “Homecoming” earning over $880 million worldwide.

And then there’s Killmonger in Disney’s “Black Panther.” Michael B. Jordan’s performance is gripping and his motivations behind his villainy are so well played on screen that it launched the internet into a frenzy with many making the case that Killmonger was right. That kind of reaction is one of the things that’s helped the movie become the third-highest domestic grossing movie of all time.

Coming into “Avengers: Infinity War,” the big question was how the directors would handle Thanos.

He's the biggest villain of them all in the current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who is obsessed with capturing all the Infinity Stones. We’ve only seen brief glances of him in the last ten years as Marvel/Disney has built up the franchise by telling the stories of dozens of heroes. How do you prove that Thanos is worth the wait?

Well, for starters, directors Anthony and Joe Russo put him right at the opening of the movie. He decimates the ship the Asgardians were on after fleeing their planet at the end of “Thor: Ragnarok,” and kills Loki for the Space Stone. He also kicks the crap out of Thor and The Hulk in the process.

That’s quite a way to start a movie.

And Thanos’ wrath continues on through the entire movie. But what makes “Infinity War” not just a great superhero movie, but (and I’m very serious about this) “The Empire Strikes Back” of the MCU, is the layers that Thanos is given.

In many ways, “Infinity War” is Thanos’ movie. The story spends a lot of time covering why he wants to bring “balance” to the universe by destroying half of all lives. There are key scenes that show that he really did love and have affection for his “daughter” Gamora. And we explore why the destruction of his home planet only fuels his belief that he's right.

Avengers Infinity War thanos fire_1523945234978It’s all madness. Thanos is a psycho who believes genocide is right. But “Infinity War” had to show just what the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy are up against: The Dark Lord, like Darth Vader, is conflicted, but is too blinded by inner hate to care what comes from his actions.

Then there’s just the performance itself. Thanks to remarkable CGI and a motion-capture performance by Josh Brolin, Thanos is an incredible sight up against our heroes, but also displays that pathos that elevates the character and the story.

This is just like Vulture and Killmonger.

My feeling is part of the mission in the past 10 years of the MCU was to get the heroes to a point where audiences were fully sold on their stories and their motives. With that accomplished, they now used “Infinity War” to tell Thanos’ story.

Because of the care in getting Thanos' story right, I think “Infinity War” will be talked about and analyzed for years to come — like “The Dark Knight” or “The Empire Strikes Back.”

SEE ALSO: "Avengers: Infinity War" is worth the 10-year wait and will rop your heart out

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'Infinity War' easily repeats as weekend box office champ and is the fastest movie ever to hit $1 billion worldwide (DIS)

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  • "Avengers: Infinity War" earns $112.47 million over the weekend to win the box office for a second-straight weekend.
  • Over the weekend the movie became the fastest ever to $1 billion worldwide.

"Avengers: Infinity War" continued its dominance at the box office in its second weekend.

The latest juggernaut from Disney/Marvel studios took in an estimated $112.47 million over the weekend, according to boxofficepro.com, on over 4,400 screens.

The movie won the domestic weekend box office for a second-straight weekend and now has a domestic total of $450.8 million.

And on Saturday night, the movie hit the $1 billion mark worldwide. That makes it the fastest movie ever to hit that coveted milestone.

Domestically, the movie's $112.47 million take is the second-best second weekend ever, passing the $111.6 million second weekend by "Black Panther.""Star Wars: The Force Awakens" still owns the top second weekend spot with $149.2 million.

Overboard MGMDespite "Infinity War" sucking up most of the screens in North America, there was still a little room for a few new releases the earn some coin.

MGM/Lionsgate's "Overboard," a reboot of the 1987 Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell comedy starring Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez, took in a respectable $14.75 million to come in second place. For a movie made for around $12 million that's a good start.

"Tully," Jason Reitman's latest collaboration with "Juno"screenwriter Diablo Cody and "Young Adult" star Charlize Theron, took in $3.1 million.

That's a little below industry opening weekend projections, but this is a movie that can possibly find success going forward with its strong Rotten Tomatoes score and continued word of mouth.

SEE ALSO: The 100 best movies on Hulu right now

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4 tech innovations we saw at CinemaCon that could radically change the movie theater experience

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Every year the movie industry goes to Las Vegas for CinemaCon, a convention where the studios show off their upcoming slate to the theater chains.

But it’s also where bold new innovations in the business are born.

Business Insider had a chance to look at a handful of them. From an interactive movie magazine to a company that’s looking to redefine the preshow experience at the multiplex, there could be a lot of changes coming soon to a theater near you.

Here are four things that grabbed our attention:

SEE ALSO: Thanks to Thanos, "Avengers: Infinity War" is Marvel's "The Empire Strikes Back"

4DX with Screen X

You may have seen a movie in 4DX (where the seats in the movie theater move with the action on screen) or a movie in Screen X (panoramic, 270-degree screen), but you’ve never done it at the same time!

That’s because both features have not been combined in any theaters yet. Business Insider got to experience a demo of a 4DX/Screen X viewing at CinemaCon and it’s certainly a different way to go to the movies. As your seat moves and rumbles with the action of, say, “Rampage,” you are immersed in the viewing as the movie picture expands to the sides of the theater.

There are 500 4DX screens in existence and 142 that are Screen X. It’s unclear when theaters will have the combined version (one is opening in South Korea), but it’s almost inevitable that it's coming.



myCinema

Though box-office numbers are high, there are fewer and fewer people coming to the movie theater. So myCinema thinks offering more alternative content to theaters could get more butts in the seats — especially during down times at the theaters.

Beginning in the coming months, Nagra — the digital TV division of Swiss company Kudelski Group — will launch myCinema, which will be offering thousands of shows, movies, and specials to movie theaters that can stream the content directly into their digital projectors. This will make the content easier (and quicker) for theaters to get compared to digital prints by services like Fathom.

With a library that will feature everything from kids content to faith-based titles to live concerts, you could see myCinema soon at independent arthouses that are always struggling to find audiences to come through the turnstile on a regular basis.



Noovie ARcade

Ever get to the movies early and have to sit through a bunch of boring commercials before the trailers start? National CineMedia hopes it has a better alternative.

NCM’s Noovie ARcade preshow lets you combine your phone with the big screen in front of you. Through downloading the ARcade app you are prompted to point your phone at the theater screen and play a variety of shooting, catching, and tossing games through your phone.

You are playing with everyone else in the theater who also has the app, so at the end of each game a leader board ranks everyone’s score.

Noovie ARcade has launched at 1,650 theaters nationwide through AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, as well as 50 regional and local exhibitors.

Check out if it’s available at your local theater next time you’re there.



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