Tired of smartphones in movie theaters? It's not going to get any better anytime soon

With Movie Mate, Meta aims to offer a second-screen experience during moviegoing. The first film to benefit from this feature will be M3GAN 2.0. But is it really a good idea?

Between the ringtones and the screen light, using smartphones in movie theaters can ruin a session. Nothing beats being immersed in in complete darkness and absolute silence to enjoy your film. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to benefit from this ideal situation, and Meta's latest idea isn't going to improve things.

Facebook's parent company announces its Movie Mate technology, a second-screen experience reserved for spectators present at the cinema. In other words, Meta encourages spectators to take out their mobile phones while watching a movie in the dark. We can only hope that the first tests are inconclusive and that the idea is abandoned before it can become widespread.

Meta presents Movie Mate, for a debut with M3GAN 2.0

Movie Mate integrates an AI-based chatbot, allowing you to ask questions about the film you are watching or communicate with a character in the feature film. The application also gives access to exclusive content, anecdotes, behind-the-scenes information, previews, recorded messages from the directors and actors, as well as other surprises.

The first time Movie Mate can be used will be for the broadcast of the film M3GAN 2.0, which is released in theaters on June 25, 2025 in France, and two days later in the United States. Meta has partnered with horror film producer Blumhouse (Paranormal Activity, American Nightmare, Insidious, Five Nights at Freddy's...) for the occasion. “Just send a private message to the Instagram account @M3GAN to launch the experience,” we learned.

“We are happy to introduce it to moviegoers,” said Omar Zayat, head of the Entertainment, Technology, Travel, Games and Automotive group at Meta. However, it is not certain that true moviegoers will appreciate this new feature. Zayat is nevertheless optimistic, convinced that this “rich experience” will “encourage the public to return to the cinema”.

Source: Variety