Why Are Live Interactive Movies The Latest Genre To Take Over The Entertainment Industry?

Hollywood changes like the wind in Dodge City, Kansas. It is fast and unpredictable, but at the same time, you know it is coming. What was acceptable in one generation of Hollywood is outlawed by the following. Below in this article, we will cover the Live Interactive Movies.

Beauty standards change overnight, and the genres that once sold the most tickets fade to black if the audience turns their interests to something else. Even one of the most famous directors of all time recognizes this reality. In an op-ed published by the New York Times in 2019, Indie Wire recounts how Martin Scorsese believes cinema has changed and how Hollywood has, to paraphrase, recently sold its soul to franchise world-building. 

But, even if that is true (which it is), Hollywood has its reasons for cashing in: it is what the people want. After all, “Avengers: End Game” did not gross nearly $3 billion at the global box office, for nothing. We can say the same thing about why Joker (2019) was the most awaited Hollywood movie that year, and why it snagged so many Oscar wins and nominations – and why the new Mortal Kombat movie has snagged that title in 2021. 

Why Are Live Interactive Movies
Why Are Live Interactive Movies

It’s Not Just Hollywood; the World’s Gone Live

As the world transitioned online, things like social network platforms and online casinos became the new norm. But even these online platforms have had to adjust to the evolving preferences of their customers, especially their increasing love for live features.

Once upon a time, Instagram was used as a photo gallery. Now, it is a platform where you can go live and interact with others in real-time. According to statistics reported by Website Hosting Rating, in 2020, more than 100 million Instagrammers watched or shared on the live feature every day. We can boil it down to humans being social creatures, and then factor in how we lean toward instant gratification, and these figures, and the overall shift in user preference, make sense. Even punters have moved from using online casinos to live casinos because of the flexibility and live interaction these games bring to the table. 

While online casinos are still popular, a random number generator replaces the dealer, whereas live casino games like the ones Betway offer let players interact with a live dealer. Players can see real dealers at real tables, and they can choose from a range of classic games like live Blackjack and live Roulette. Whereas, here, players wager and can win money through live casino games, people can earn revenue on YouTube by enabling the Super Chat feature on a live stream. When creators host a live stream on YouTube, they can receive donations from viewers (they range from $1 to $500), all while connecting in real-time with their community. 

Hollywood’s an A+ Student

Hollywood has taken note of other industries focusing on live content, having released several live interactive movies, including Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2019), Five Minutes (2014), and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend (2020). In all three films, viewers make decisions for the main characters in real-time, and all became some of the biggest streaming hits of their release year.

Live Interactive Movies
Live Interactive Movies

Interactive movies work, because, like with Instagram live and live casino games, they appeal to the consumers who want to interact with their entertainment in real-time. They also accommodate those who want to receive some form of live or immediate gratification simultaneously. In an interactive movie, you can even make small, seemingly inconsequential, choices, such as choosing if you want a character to eat a certain type of cereal — this was one of the options in Bandersnatch. Realistically, it is this same quality that draws us to the likes of live casino games – the ability to make small actions, that can possibly conclude as impactful outcomes, and visually witness this come to fruition, in real-time.

Conclusion

Some speculate that interactive movies will never live up to their hype since many individuals watch movies to shut off their brains for a couple of hours. However, that is impossible with interactive movies, because they require you to be an active participant in the narrative of the story. However, in a way, that is like most things in Hollywood. We define what makes a good movie by seeing whether it keeps us actively engaged, or whether it fades into background noise.

We see this with Instagram live, live casinos, and YouTube live streams. There will always be a handful of individuals who choose a land-based casino over playing live casino games, and some people will continue to use Instagram as a photo gallery only and ignore its live feature, as they have decided that either one keeps them more actively engaged in its content. Preference is relevant to the individual. That said, the shift to live, interactive content is evident, and we are likely to see many more interactive movies and products released over the next few years.