4 ms·

I guess it kind of makes sense because the Streaming-Only movies are not available to the general public in cinemas and require a paid subscription. "Normal" mo

I guess it kind of makes sense because the Streaming-Only movies are not available to the general public in cinemas and require a paid subscription. "Normal" movies have a one-time fee too and these competitions are free advertising for every winner, but in the case of Streaming they are essentially free advertising for a movie subscription.

tehlike 9y ago
You can always pay 9.99 or whatever the price and cancel after one month. Still cheaper than movies.
- cosmeen 9y ago
  You forgot that the first month is free :)
- kayoone 9y ago
  Yes, but general public doesn't know this and Netflix is not going around advertising this with high priority. Getting/Cancelling the subscription on a per movie basis is not the intended use of Netflix anyway, so it's gaming the system and netflix allows it.
  - cheeze 9y ago
    The general public doesn't realize they can sign up for a month long subscription of something and cancel it? Are you serious? How is that gaming the system at all?
    - LoSboccacc 9y ago
      Psychology 101: People sign up for just a month. Don't cancel immediately after watching the movie they want, because they want to use the paid month in full. After two/three weeks the brain phases out the expiration date and the subscription renews. "But reminders!" the reader would complain so let me preempt that: not many person actually set reminders for this kind of stuff - part because 'it's only a month' part because not everyone is as phone dependent as techhies and mbas types. For internet and social? Sure. For reminding every little detail in life? Hardly. Especially since outside apple setting a reminder is still a subpar experience.
      - callumlocke 9y ago
        To be fair, you can cancel Netflix and then continue using it until the end of your current subscription period. I would have thought it would be illegal to withdraw the service early as punishment for cancelling.
        draugadrotten 9y ago
        Netflix seems to try to provide a good enough service so that customers want to extend the subscription, rather than relying on customers forgetting to cancel. Very irrational of them as we all know capitalists try to scam everyone first chance they get.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - shaftoe 9y ago
        These are truly first world problems.
        tehlike 9y ago
        France is first world, isn't it?
- carlob 9y ago
  Not so sure it's cheaper in France. There are many ways to go to the movies for much less than that. There is some kind of subscription that's very popular in Paris that lets you go to any movie in about half of the theaters (including independents) for a monthly fee, and a few times a year there are weekends when the movies are 2-3 euros a pop. Thus said watching a movie on a laptop screen in your apartment is hardly the same as going to a proper cinema.
  - arkh 9y ago
    But going to a "proper cinema" is a lot less enjoyable than using your own 4k screen with good audio, comfy seating, homemade snacks, no other audience, choice of language and subtitles and the possibility to pause it if needed. Let's not forget the choice of the exact time you watch it and you don't have to get dressed too.
    - kagamine 9y ago
      A fast PC, a 4K screen, a nice home, paid streaming service subscription, paid ISP subscription and snacks. I believe France to be a bit more socialist (in the same way as Scandinavia is) than some other countries and it's possible also that the 'draconian laws' as YC comments insist on calling them, are there to level the playing field for all?
    - douche 9y ago
      Plus you can make your own popcorn for $0.35, instead of getting juiced $12.00 for a bowl-full.
    - xg15 9y ago
      So we don't need cinemas anymore because instead of $11 for a cinema everyone could pay $10000 for a home cinema system and get the same experience. Makes sense...
- kagamine 9y ago
  With the added costs of owning a PC good enough to stream and being on a paid for network good enough to stream, which might not be available in a lot of the French countryside where a bicycle ride or a short trip on public transport is more affordable. The cost is far greater than 9.99. Not to mention that French cinema sees itself as 'art' and a laptop screen can't do the director justice.
  - petra 9y ago
    Netflix, in some countries has an option to download movies. And most PC's are good enough for 1080p.
  - wikibob 9y ago
    This doesn't make sense. A Chromecast is 35€. A 7 year old laptop is perfectly capable of streaming and a HDMI cable to plug your laptop into your existing tv is 10€.
- infinita740 9y ago
  11.99€ for the "UHD/4k" subscription, my local cinema costs 7.80€. I agree it is still reasonable but I feel that a limited release would be better as a subscription for a single film is pretty dumb IMO.
thirdsun 9y ago
> I guess it kind of makes sense because the Streaming-Only movies are not available to the general public in cinemas and require a paid subscription. As someone who doesn't live in one of the handful of metropoles that cater to every niche interest, if there's one thing that surely isn't one of the advantages of independent cinema it's availability. I can't count the number of times I was interest in a small film or documentary only to be disappointed by a website that presents me with a list of global screenings I could however count much more easily: On one hand. I can understand that streaming isn't the filmmakers ideal choice, but unless we're talking about big budget blockbusters I see no point in relying on theatres in this day and age. It's a needless and artificial scarcity and limits the potential audience. At least let me buy the film.

tehlike 9y ago

You can always pay 9.99 or whatever the price and cancel after one month. Still cheaper than movies.

cosmeen 9y ago
You forgot that the first month is free :)
kayoone 9y ago
Yes, but general public doesn't know this and Netflix is not going around advertising this with high priority. Getting/Cancelling the subscription on a per movie basis is not the intended use of Netflix anyway, so it's gaming the system and netflix allows it.
- cheeze 9y ago
  The general public doesn't realize they can sign up for a month long subscription of something and cancel it? Are you serious? How is that gaming the system at all?
  - LoSboccacc 9y ago
    Psychology 101: People sign up for just a month. Don't cancel immediately after watching the movie they want, because they want to use the paid month in full. After two/three weeks the brain phases out the expiration date and the subscription renews. "But reminders!" the reader would complain so let me preempt that: not many person actually set reminders for this kind of stuff - part because 'it's only a month' part because not everyone is as phone dependent as techhies and mbas types. For internet and social? Sure. For reminding every little detail in life? Hardly. Especially since outside apple setting a reminder is still a subpar experience.
    - callumlocke 9y ago
      To be fair, you can cancel Netflix and then continue using it until the end of your current subscription period. I would have thought it would be illegal to withdraw the service early as punishment for cancelling.
      - draugadrotten 9y ago
        Netflix seems to try to provide a good enough service so that customers want to extend the subscription, rather than relying on customers forgetting to cancel. Very irrational of them as we all know capitalists try to scam everyone first chance they get.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - shaftoe 9y ago
      These are truly first world problems.
      - tehlike 9y ago
        France is first world, isn't it?
carlob 9y ago
Not so sure it's cheaper in France. There are many ways to go to the movies for much less than that. There is some kind of subscription that's very popular in Paris that lets you go to any movie in about half of the theaters (including independents) for a monthly fee, and a few times a year there are weekends when the movies are 2-3 euros a pop. Thus said watching a movie on a laptop screen in your apartment is hardly the same as going to a proper cinema.
- arkh 9y ago
  But going to a "proper cinema" is a lot less enjoyable than using your own 4k screen with good audio, comfy seating, homemade snacks, no other audience, choice of language and subtitles and the possibility to pause it if needed. Let's not forget the choice of the exact time you watch it and you don't have to get dressed too.
  - kagamine 9y ago
    A fast PC, a 4K screen, a nice home, paid streaming service subscription, paid ISP subscription and snacks. I believe France to be a bit more socialist (in the same way as Scandinavia is) than some other countries and it's possible also that the 'draconian laws' as YC comments insist on calling them, are there to level the playing field for all?
  - douche 9y ago
    Plus you can make your own popcorn for $0.35, instead of getting juiced $12.00 for a bowl-full.
  - xg15 9y ago
    So we don't need cinemas anymore because instead of $11 for a cinema everyone could pay $10000 for a home cinema system and get the same experience. Makes sense...
kagamine 9y ago
With the added costs of owning a PC good enough to stream and being on a paid for network good enough to stream, which might not be available in a lot of the French countryside where a bicycle ride or a short trip on public transport is more affordable. The cost is far greater than 9.99. Not to mention that French cinema sees itself as 'art' and a laptop screen can't do the director justice.
- petra 9y ago
  Netflix, in some countries has an option to download movies. And most PC's are good enough for 1080p.
- wikibob 9y ago
  This doesn't make sense. A Chromecast is 35€. A 7 year old laptop is perfectly capable of streaming and a HDMI cable to plug your laptop into your existing tv is 10€.
infinita740 9y ago
11.99€ for the "UHD/4k" subscription, my local cinema costs 7.80€. I agree it is still reasonable but I feel that a limited release would be better as a subscription for a single film is pretty dumb IMO.

thirdsun 9y ago

> I guess it kind of makes sense because the Streaming-Only movies are not available to the general public in cinemas and require a paid subscription. As someone who doesn't live in one of the handful of metropoles that cater to every niche interest, if there's one thing that surely isn't one of the advantages of independent cinema it's availability. I can't count the number of times I was interest in a small film or documentary only to be disappointed by a website that presents me with a list of global screenings I could however count much more easily: On one hand. I can understand that streaming isn't the filmmakers ideal choice, but unless we're talking about big budget blockbusters I see no point in relying on theatres in this day and age. It's a needless and artificial scarcity and limits the potential audience. At least let me buy the film.