A Dutch movie theater chain is testing a wild idea: use hypnosis to make film lovers forget a favorite movie, then sit them back down in front of the big screen so they can feel the shock, the twists and the tears all over again. Pathé has picked 30 people for an experiment called Pathé REWIND, set for November 9 at Pathé Buitenhof in The Hague. The film they will watch is one of four fan favorites: Interstellar, The Matrix, La La Land or Se7en. Social media users have already run with the news, and one line sums up the mood perfectly: “Can’t wait to watch Interstellar for the first time!”
What Pathé REWIND Actually Involves
The setup is simple on paper. 30 film fans were selected after a free registration window that closed on October 29. Each person had to pick a preferred title from the four-film list and confirm they had already seen it at least once. Pathé then chose the film that received the most applications, according to the cinema chain’s official event page.
The process happens in two stages. First, every selected participant gets a private online session with Victor Kraemer, a hypnotherapist with more than 30 years of experience. Then, on the night of November 9, Kraemer puts the group under hypnosis again right before the screening begins. The goal is not to permanently erase the film from memory but to temporarily quiet the conscious recall of the plot, so the viewer can walk into the theater with no active spoilers in mind.
Pathé has been clear that this is an experiment, not a scientific study. The chain’s terms state that Pathé accepts no liability for the outcome, the effect or any other consequences of the hypnosis sessions. The disclaimer also says Pathé makes no claims about how well hypnosis works as a method, as reported by IGN.
The Four Films and Why They Were Chosen
The lineup is not random. Each title carries a different kind of first-viewing punch.
The Matrix (1999) hinges on the moment Neo learns the truth about his reality. Se7en (1995) is built around a final reveal that has stayed with audiences for decades. La La Land (2016) lands differently once you know where the relationship is going. Interstellar (2014), directed by Christopher Nolan, brings an emotional ending that depends heavily on not knowing what is coming.
MovieMeter, a Dutch film site, notes that The Matrix and Se7en both score highly with users, at 4.01 and 4.22 out of 5 respectively. The film with the most votes among applicants will be the one screened on the night.
Who Is Victor Kraemer
Victor Kraemer is the hypnotherapist leading the sessions. Pathé describes him as a specialist with over 30 years of experience in hypnosis. He handles the individual online preparation sessions between October 30 and November 8, and then leads the group session at the cinema just before the film starts.
The chain has not said how it will measure whether participants actually forgot the plot. There is no memory test built into the event description, and no scientific body is overseeing the experiment. Pathé frames the night as a test of whether the feeling of a first viewing can be brought back, not as proof that hypnosis can erase memories on command.
What Pathé Says About the Idea
Pathé’s brand and communications manager Imke van Schaaijk explained the thinking behind the event in the chain’s announcement.
“Who wouldn’t want to see his favorite movie for the very first time? We know that wish is alive in many film lovers. At Pathé we continuously look for ways to offer our visitors a special cinema experience, for example with special performances and Pathé Classics. With REWIND we go one step further and try to bring that first viewing experience back to life with a special hypnosis experiment.”
The event ties into Pathé Classics, a regular program that brings older films back to the big screen. The chain says familiar films on a large screen already come close to the first-viewing feeling for many moviegoers, and REWIND is an attempt to push that idea further.
How the Internet Reacted
Social media users found plenty to joke about. The idea of voluntarily signing up to forget Interstellar — a film many fans have rewatched dozens of times — became the main source of humor.
“Me watching Interstellar for the 531st time,” one user wrote, according to The Tab.
“Me pretending to be hypnotized so I can watch Interstellar for the 178th time,” another joked.
The trust factor also got attention. One user noted that letting a stranger hypnotize you and then immediately watching The Matrix is “an incredible way to develop trust issues.” Another comment took a sharper view of the business side: “A theater chain found a way to sell people Interstellar twice and called it science.”
Not every reaction was a joke. One user asked whether forgetting a favorite film could backfire. “Can you imagine if they made you forget your favorite film and you rewatched it and didn’t like it anymore because of all the things you have seen since then that crib off it and it seemed lame and derivative to you now?” the person wrote.
The Bigger Picture for Cinemas
The experiment lands at a time when cinemas are looking for reasons to pull people away from streaming. Netflix’s revenue in the United States and Canada reached $19.96 billion by 2025, while the region’s box office brought in $8.66 billion, according to data cited by BeInCrypto. In 2019, the gap ran the other way: the North American box office made $11.36 billion and Netflix earned $10.05 billion in the same region.
That swing has pushed theater chains to try events that a streaming queue cannot copy. Pathé REWIND is small — just 30 people for one night — but it fits the pattern of cinemas testing novelty experiences to make a trip to the movies feel like something that cannot happen at home. AMC Entertainment has tried crypto payments and other add-ons to bring people through its doors.
What Happens on November 9
The selected participants will meet at Pathé Buitenhof in The Hague on Monday, November 9. Kraemer will lead a second hypnosis session in the theater. The chosen film will then play on the big screen. Pathé says it will evaluate afterward whether the audience felt something different from a normal rewatch. There is no public plan to repeat the experiment, and no results from the night have been announced yet.
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For now, the event remains a one-night test with 30 people and four films that millions have already seen. Whether hypnosis can bring back the first-viewing feeling is the open question. The answer will come only after the lights go down in The Hague.
For more entertainment stories that break down what is happening and why it matters, keep reading VvipTimes.
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