CONTRABAND VR Cinema
People who makes films don't have it easy. In a typical scenario - the team that produced the film makes 15% of the topline revenues. The Distributor takes 35%. And the theatre (the exhibitor) takes 50%. So even in a scenario like Obsession where the movie is making a rocket ride, the filmmakers were capped at $50M (15M upfront + 15%). The Distributors and theatres get the upside of the $330 million. In the startup world, we get upset about appstores charging 30% :) The situation gets worse for Indie films and more so for people who are using AI tools to tell stories. Films that got made,…
CONTRABAND VR Cinema launched on July 12, 2026 with 29 votes, #730 of 24,623 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches.
What it does
Put on your Quest headset and step into a real cinema with a real audience, watching the same film at the same moment together. Nobody pauses and nobody skips ahead. When the credits roll, you vote on what screens next. This is what going to the movies used to feel like. This is Virtual Cinema.
CONTRABAND is a VR screening room for independent films, AI cinema, and documentaries. A shared virtual space where films screen at a set time, for a real audience.
No matter where you are, CONTRABAND makes real movie magic. A shared screening, a real audience, a real reaction. All from wherever you are sitting. Scheduled screenings of independent movies, AI-made features, and documentaries, inside your VR headset, with a real audience, at a set time. In a physical cinema your seat determines your experience. In CONTRABAND, when the movie starts the room fades away and the screen fills your entire field of view. No bad angles. Nobody tall sitting in front of you. Every seat is the same seat. Most films weren't shot in 3D. With the filmmaker's approval, we convert select titles into true stereoscopic 3D, so a film you've already seen flat can reveal a…from contraband.watch
In the maker’s words, at launch
People who makes films don't have it easy. In a typical scenario - the team that produced the film makes 15% of the topline revenues. The Distributor takes 35%. And the theatre (the exhibitor) takes 50%. So even in a scenario like Obsession where the movie is making a rocket ride, the filmmakers were capped at $50M…
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