{
  "id": 17298474,
  "title": "Desperate theater industry turns to Dutch hypnotists for help, as one does",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/desperate-theater-industry-turns-to-dutch-hypnotists-for-help-as-one",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-30T11:00:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/dutch-theater-chain-hypnotists-the-matrix-se7en-forget"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Dutch theater industry is resorting to unconventional methods to attract audiences back to their theaters. A Dutch theater company has announced an \"experiment\" where they will hire a hypnotist to erase audience memories of beloved films, in hopes of providing them with a fresh viewing experience. The idea, dubbed the \"Rewind\" experience, is being championed by the large European theater chain Pathé Cinémas, who plans to use it on movies such as The Matrix, Se7en, La La Land, or Interstellar. Pathé Cinémas will select 30 volunteers who have all chosen the same movie to be hypnotized, then book them a session with Dutch hypnotherapist Victor Kraemer. Kraemer, an experienced hypnotist and life coach, claims to use his extensive training in hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT, Mind Shifting, and quantum healing methods to help people overcome imposter syndrome. After the hypnotic session, all participants will be brought to a theater, given a \"hypnosis top-up,\" and invited to watch the film again. While this method may seem dubious scientifically, it's just one of many bizarre tactics theater owners have employed to lure customers back into their seats during a challenging time.",
  "summary": "Desperate theater industry turns to Dutch hypnotists for help",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}