In June the Trend Exchange got federal approval to trade on box office returns — with the Cantor Exchange following close behind. What this means is that people will essentially be able to invest on the box office acting as a stock market; purchasing “contracts” (shares) before movies open.
Howard Gantman of the MPAA believes that it doesn’t really serve a public purpose, and that it’s open for manipulation that could potentially damage films. According to the MPAA, this is only a form of gambling. Congress can still intervene with the approval.
I’m on the fence with the issue — I can see where Gantman is coming from, but with that worry; film productions would have more incentive to produce quality work. There would be more at stake.
Wow . That is ridiculous ! I don’t know where I stand on this one ……
I heard about this recently…I’m not really down with this sort of thing. I think it will totally have an unnatural effect on box office numbers and the success of movies at the box office in general.
It’ll definitely have an influence on the box office. It’s a complicated matter that could potentially change the landscape for better or for worse.