Forget the Plot, Keep the $11 billion Question: Pathé’s Hypnosis Stunt Tests the Streaming Gap

Dutch cinema chain Pathé will hypnotize 30 film fans on November 9 in an attempt to make them forget a favorite movie and experience it as if seeing it for the first time. The event, called Pathé REWIND, will take place at Pathé Buitenhof in The Hague, with participants selecting from The Matrix, Se7en, La La Land, and Interstellar.

Hypnotherapist Victor Kraemer, a hypnosis specialist for over 30 years, will first guide each participant through an online session and then place the group under hypnosis again immediately before the screening. Pathé has not explained how it will determine whether participants truly forgot the plot.

The experiment arrives as Netflix’s regional revenue has moved ahead of the North American box office. In 2019, the US and Canadian box office generated $11.36 billion, while Netflix earned slightly less in the same region at $10.05 billion. By 2025, Netflix revenue had nearly doubled to $19.96 billion, while box office receipts declined to $8.66 billion.

AMC Entertainment reported second-quarter revenue of $1.59 billion, up 14% year over year, as the theater operator seeks to reverse the broader shift toward streaming. Netflix shares hit a 26-month low in October despite record revenue, and AMC’s third-quarter report on November 4 will provide another update on the theater recovery. The company has also courted crypto audiences by accepting Bitcoin for ticket payments and expanding to Dogecoin payment options, while its shares jumped 15% in premarket trading in September during the 2021 meme stock rally.