Letterboxd, a beloved movie critiques and social media platform that took off throughout the pandemic, has been acquired. Its new proprietor is a Canadian holding firm referred to as Tiny, which guarantees a “quick, pleasant, and easy” course of for founders in search of “fast, easy exits.”
Letterboxd has been round since 2011, based by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow, and has grown its consumer base to round 10 million folks — a drop within the bucket in comparison with larger, noisier websites, however dwelling to movie buffs, critics, and even just a few celebrities.
The app is a component social media and half private log — customers can file movies they watch, write critiques, and touch upon and like their mates’ entries, too. For those who see all your pals reviewing one thing, you’ll be able to add it to your watchlist for later. There’s additionally a company-run blog the place journalists and different writers publish essays, interviews, and different items.
The fundamental tier of Letterboxd is free to make use of however consists of advertisements. For the really devoted, a $19 yearly paid option affords an ad-free expertise and year-end lists of watch information, just like Spotify Wrapped.
Within the Instances story saying the sale, a Tiny founder stated Letterboxd’s new homeowners don’t intend to alter the enterprise mannequin. However Letterboxd founders say the acquisition will assist the corporate develop and add extra options: ultimately, it is going to embrace the flexibility to overview TV reveals along with movies.
“Other than the possession change, and consistent with Tiny’s core working values, little or no else will change,” Buchanan wrote in an announcement. “Karl and I are nonetheless main the crew, which stays the identical, however now has the extra help of an organization with huge expertise in serving to founders by way of intervals of progress, which Letterboxd continues to get pleasure from. “
Like thousands and thousands of others, I joined Letterboxd whereas the pandemic confined me inside and conventional social media felt particularly overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. As Fran Hoepfner wrote in The Washington Post earlier this week, Letterboxd is a no matter you need it to be, a digital journal by yourself phrases — you’ll be able to comply with folks and touch upon their critiques or not. You may judiciously file every thing you see (like a number of of my mates) or overlook to log movies for 3 months after which begin again up (like me).
The platform has undergone few adjustments previously 10-plus years, which is probably why folks like it a lot. There aren’t any fleeting options or algorithm-driven manufactured rage. Your film log is for future you or your pals or for no one specifically — your selection. Right here’s hoping it stays that manner.
