Even barring monetization aside, Popcorn Time is far from doing everything right. Have you tried watching a show/movie that isn't among the most popular? Chances are there wouldn't be enough seeders to get a decent experience.
I can only guess here, but availability of content must surely be one of it. In 2015, a brick and mortar store for renting physical videos still have content which online services do not, including some movies that was in the cinema over a year ago.
In 2015, a brick and mortar store for renting physical videos still have content which online services do not
In 2005 or even 2010 I would absolutely have agreed with you. However in 2015 all those really great independent brick and mortar video rental places I used to go to anywhere near me are long since bankrupt and closed down.
I've always suspected that was due to their porn selection. A few years ago, I knew someone who worked in a video rental store in the heart of Kansas City that had an extensive "back room". It always seemed to me that the back room was the only area to get traffic. Somehow, the internet hasn't killed porn disc rentals, and I think it shows for both that small shop in Kansas City (which is still open) and Family Video.
Sounds like you're talking about Westport Video Mania. A couple friends and I go to that store about twice a year to browse around. Each time we're there, nearly all other customers that come through the front door go straight to the back room. After a few years, we finally decided to see what was on the other side. It was like the Tardis of porn...I don't know how they fit a whole other video store in there.
Paradoxically, torrenting sometimes is the only way to get an obscure show/movie they don't even sell anymore. I'll take few seeders over nothing at all.
