"Catch-up" indeed. I watch more TV from Comcast's OnDemand service than from live TV.

As long as it's in HD, this is genius. I'd pay $40 or more...and charge admission.

By the way, the above scenario is why this will never happen.

It's a great deal. The cost of 4 people going to the movies covers the cost. No more spending $100 for a group of friends going to the movies, just get them all around to your place for half the cost and far more convenient.

I doubt that Comcast's market research has found any evidence that a critical mass of people would pay $30-$50 for first-run movies. Yeah, SOMEbody will pay it, but that's not going to be a mass market price point.

I agree that $30 - $50 sounds like it's in the right ballpark. For my wife and I to see a movie it's $10 each plus 3-4 hours of a babysitter at $10/hr. That's $60 right there not even considering if we were to buy popcorn or anything else. The fact that I can sit in my home watching a 65" HDTV seeing a brand new movie at my convenience while eating my own food and drinks is a HUGE bonus. The alternative is going to see a movie and having idiots talking during the whole thing and getting a crappy seat. I think the choice is clear for me.

When you figure the cost of tickets, parking, sitter, not to mention bad theater food, $30-$50 isn't a bad price even for a family, particularly when you have an HDTV system and don't have to worry about a projectionist running twelve different films at once who barely got out of high school (assuming of course he is out of high school), and a theater manager who figures he can save money by turning down the power to the projection lamp, while compensating by turning the sound up to 11.

$10 a ticket, so if you have a large group it makes sense.

And if theaters want more people to go they better have better people running the place. I haven't had a good time gonig to the movies in years. Children run wild, talk through the movie, the parents are asshole, cell phones go off. It sucks.

I just wait the 3 months it takes for a DVD to come out.

This is a great deal, assuming you invite some friends over to watch too, or if you have a family of four. In California, first run tickets on weekends are easily $10 each, and that's without snacks, drinks, or parking/gas/transit.

Why not stay at home, have the privilege to chow down popcorn, sushi, microbrews or whatever you want from your own fridge (without the markup), and have the option to pause the movie whenever you want without missing anything? It's a beautiful thing, and $30-$50 is just the right price to make it worthwhile for four people. And if anyone talks during the movie, I can tell 'em to shut up and not feel guilty.

In one word: it'd be heaven.

I know some people who would pay the price. People who are bedridden or with conditions that prevent them from sitting for long periods of time.

My Uncle was excited/depressed about 300. Excited because he's a big Frank Miller fan, depressed because he'll have to wait till it's on DVD because his back injuries make sitting a living hell for him.

You've got to be kidding...wow. I guess the reason for the price being so high is so that people couldn't pay a theater price and bring 20 people over to watch for free, but damn...that's still crazy.