MoviePass launches a movie trailer app for Oculus Quest and Apple Vision Pro.
If you're a movie lover who misses the old Apple TV app for movie trailers, Stacy Spikes, CEO of MoviePass, understands your frustration.
Stacy Spikes, CEO of MoviePass, understands film enthusiasts' nostalgia for the old Apple TV app dedicated to movie trailers. Aware of this gap, he decided to develop his own trailer app to make it easier for users to keep track of upcoming releases. However, the MoviePass Screening Room will not be available on Apple TV devices or conventional streaming boxes. Instead, Spikes has launched the app in virtual reality for Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro.
In an interview, Spikes shared that he spends a lot of time in VR and, upon observing the impressive image quality on the Vision Pro, he realized that this platform provides an ideal experience for watching movie trailers. Before creating his own app, Spikes found himself searching for trailers on YouTube, struggling to find quality versions. This led him to the idea of launching an app that not only centralizes trailers but also facilitates ticket purchasing for MoviePass subscribers.
The app on the Vision Pro has a simple design. When opened, users see a list of recent and upcoming movie trailers, like Sonic 3 and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Upon selecting a title, the trailer begins to play almost immediately. According to Spikes, the trailers are sourced from Nielsen, directly from studios, and from the marketing agency PaperAirplane, aiming to provide the best available quality, which ranges between 1080p and some options in 4K.
While exploring various trailers, it was noted that the encoding quality and bitrate surpassed many options on YouTube, which is evident when projecting on large screens in VR. Additionally, he appreciated having a single place to find high-quality trailers, as navigating YouTube on the Vision Pro can be an uncomfortable experience due to its browser-based interface, filled with low-quality videos and amateur montages.
When asked about potential data collection through the app, especially concerning the connection with Nielsen, Spikes clarified that they had no interest in that approach. They preferred to focus on expanding their own ecosystem, as venturing into the data world would also mean getting involved in advertising, an area that does not interest them.
Watching trailers has always been a way to unwind after a long day. Spikes acknowledges that he used to use the Apple TV trailer app "religiously," which explains his desire to recreate that experience. Although the MoviePass Screening Room is currently only available on Vision Pro and Meta Quest, Spikes plans to adapt it for other devices like Apple TV and Roku, and to include trailers directly in the MoviePass app.
