Even when you go with someone else, or a group of friends, going to the theater is hardly a social experience—unless you're at one of the cinemas in Asia that features 'danmaku.'
Danmaku, meaning "barrage" in Japanese is a system that lets audience members post their comments directly on top of the movie screen while it's playing. With the rise of online movie streaming and piracy, it's a challenge to get people to go to the theater, as well as not have them on their cell phones the entire time. With Danmaku in place on cinema screens, theaters have reported an increase in youth audiences under the age of 24 up to 80 and 90 percent. This may be distracting, but at least movie-goers can engage in conversation without disturbing the sounds of the movie.
Conversational Movie Screens
Asian Theaters Using 'Danmaku' Let Audiences Chat on Movie Screens
Trend Themes
1. Interactive Movie Experiences - The use of danmaku in Asian theaters revolutionizes the movie-going experience by allowing audiences to engage in real-time conversations on the movie screen.
2. Enhanced Social Engagement - Danmaku provides a unique social experience by enabling movie-goers to interact with each other during the film, bringing a sense of community to the theater.
3. Youth Empowerment in Cinemas - The implementation of danmaku attracts a younger demographic to movie theaters, providing a disruptive opportunity to re-engage the youth in traditional cinema experiences.
Industry Implications
1. Film Exhibition - The film exhibition industry can leverage danmaku technology to create immersive and interactive movie screenings, attracting new audiences.
2. Software Development - Software developers can explore opportunities to create danmaku platforms that can be integrated into cinema systems, opening up new possibilities for collaborative movie experiences.
3. Marketing and Advertising - Marketing and advertising professionals can tap into the trend of interactive movie experiences to create innovative campaigns that engage audiences during screenings.