'Top Gun 3D' comes with its own virtual movie theater
The program was designed to give you a real theater experience in virtual reality.
Paramount has apparently been busy building its own movie theater these past six months -- and it's the kind of you can access anywhere you are, because it exists in virtual reality. According to Deadline, the studio teamed up with cross-platform software Bigscreen and worked with Oculus, Samsung, HTC and Microsoft to create a virtual cinema where it can show its films. They're launching the theater to the public on December 3rd with a showing of Top Gun 3D.
Unlike other VR movie apps that give you access to a virtual personal theater, the program was created to emulate how it truly feels to go to the movies. After putting on your headset, you'll have to "walk" into the cinema and find a seat. You can even chat with your seatmates in the virtual audience, and you'll have to watch trailers on the huge projection screen before the film starts.
Those are what you could expect when you log into Bigscreen's website on any VR headset on December 3rd. Take note that you can watch Top Gun 3D for free after the initial showing for the next 24 hours, in 30-minute increments. Tom Hayes, Paramount's SVP of New Media, was the one who came across Bigscreen a year ago and initiated the theater's development.
"It launches a possible new platform for the film business," he said. "Obviously, you can add all sorts of bonus content with the filmmakers Q&A, games, trivia, for example, afterwards. There's no limit to what we can do."
Deadline says Paramount already has a lineup of films to show on its virtual theater next year. While the studio hasn't released the list yet, they're most likely older films -- one of them could be Terminator 3D -- that the company intends to use to gauge people's interest. If it becomes a hit, it could become more than just a platform for Paramount to show old films and could inspire other studios and video-on-demand services to follow suit.
