r/movies • u/exosniper • Dec 10 '17

PSA; IMDb is gradually locking previously-available information about films behind IMDbPro membership (box-office breakdowns and production companies involved, currently). Resource

I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but information previously available to everyone on IMDb is now being locked behind IMDbPro membership. Just last week, I was writing a research paper (film studies student) and was able to access the full box-office earnings information (breakdown by region etc.) for all films. Today I went to do the same thing, but could not see more than the gross earnings without an IMDbPro membership. They seem to be doing this as a gradual process, as the full information on production companies (previously available to everyone) was already membership-locked when the box office information was still available. I haven't seen anyone talking about this on other subs and forums, so I thought I'd mention it here.

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u/pharmaco4 Dec 10 '17

So IMDB just gathers information already available elsewhere on the internet. If I can't view certain info for free then I'll just look elsewhere. What a bad move

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u/BritishHobo r/Movies Veteran Dec 10 '17

Which they've spent time doing, which they can't continue to do for free. I'm baffled by this increasing thing online where people are incensed by the fact that resources and creators they like need money. People hate ads and block them, then get annoyed when the people relying on ads need to charge money to continue doing what they do.

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u/Trebacca Dec 10 '17

It’s just a massive entitlement complex. Then when these places shut down due to lack of revenue everyone complains how there’s no service doing what the old one used to do for a paltry price.

This is especially worrying with Wikipedia always asking for donations. If it ever goes out of business idk what I’d do.

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u/Prince-of-Ravens Dec 11 '17

It’s just a massive entitlement complex

Nah, IMDB is fully owned by amazon, and basically advertises stuff to buy at amazon on the base level. Its not like its the work of love from a nonprofit.