It’s worked for a football club (MyFootballClub.co.uk) and for bands (Sellaband, Slicethepie, Marillion); now a stealth-mode new online cooperative aims to let movie buffs call the shots in the film business. TheMoviesClub will let film fans come together to buy the rights to independent movies. After investing £15 in the site, members will get to vote on which indie flicks to select for acquisition, promotion and distribution. The process will be managed online and members will either get to share in their chosen film’s financial success or re-invest in future flicks.
The film business can be expensive but there is a growing number of online platforms like Babelgum and Joost hungry for new content. TheMoviesClub aims to employ social microfinance to reduce barriers to entry. Each member would essentially co-own their own movie. The club is only interested in optioning movies for which it can gain a majority stake and is planning on making the first acquisition by the summer, with planning beginning at the Cannes Film Festival (May) and a full launch at the Edinburgh Film Festival (June).