15 Terrible Ideas and Off-the-Mark Predictions About The Future Of Movies

On January 10th, 1888, Louis Le Prince registered the first British patent for a camera that was able to capture motion through a series of still prints. Since then, “film” as it would eventually be called was taken in so many different directions for over a century. With those directions would come various technologies in an attempt to improve or enhance the experience of watching pretty pictures move in front of our faces along with predictions about where the newly growing film industry would go.

Many of those would be totally, completely, and utterly wrong. Or stupid. Or stupidly wrong. Some of these “enhancements” include a way to improve the audio-visual experience by adding scent into the mix. Others were predictions that this over-the-air, flash-in-the-pan invention called “television” would never quite take off like the talkies did.

Here is a list of predictions and tech invented for the future of movies that have become debunked fodder for fun look-backs like this.