Movie Apps That Are Cool and Monetize Too

By Amy Vale

Who doesn’t love movies? In the app-heavy mobile world, it’s pretty clear that developers love movies too. A recent TVGuide.comstudy found that 68 percent of U.S. TV viewers watched between one and five hours of video per week on tablets and mobile phones. And mobile users reported paying for 10 percent of their streamed content.

For the increasingly mobile-dependent consumer who’s attached at the hip to their smartphones, tablets and e-Readers, there’s an endless amount of cool movie apps to help them get their movie fix. And for developers, movie apps are also conducive to long-term monetization. Here are two movie apps that are cool and monetize too.

Crackle brings Seinfeld’s web series to smartphones and tablets

Jerry Seinfeld is an icon in Hollywood. He was among the first to break all the traditional conventions of mainstream television; his show Seinfeld kept audiences amused and laughing for nine seasons despite being about “nothing”; now he’s got a new web-based show called “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”  Thanks to Crackle, a free app for iOS and Android, users can get their entertainment fix with a tiny selection of movies and TV shows, including Monty Python’s “And Now for Something Completely Different,” “The Fifth Element,” “Groundhog Day,” “I Dream of Jeannie”, “All in the Family,” and, of course, “Seinfeld.”

The cool factor of this app isn’t just reserved for movie and TV buffs; developers can make good use of in-app ads to monetize. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. In-app ads need to be aligned with the type of apps people are using. In this case, that means integrating rich media, especially video content, into in-app ads. 

Action Movie FX puts you in the middle of the action (packs a punch)

There’s no shortage of action movie buffs. These folks don’t just love watching action-packed stunts and explosions in the latest Bond movie; they wish they could be in the middle of the action too. Well, there’s a free app that can do just that. It’s called Action Movie FX and requires iOS 4.3 or later and works with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (4^th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi and iPad 2.

Here’s how it works. You open the app and select one of two free action effects: Missile Attack and Car Smash. This app is particularly conducive to monetization because users with a penchant for cool effects and action can purchase additional effects for 99 cents apiece. Plus, the app offers all the guidance and how-to of creating their own effects and overlaying them into their own video clips. Because of the exceptional user experience and audience associated with this app, in-app purchases are a smart way for developers to monetize.