Social VR Cinema: Meta vs Bigscreen – The Battle for the Next Entertainment Frontier

In the VR world, we're used to donning headsets—sometimes immersing ourselves in cinematic magic alone, sometimes teaming up with friends in virtual spaces. But if there's one experience that seamlessly fuses the thrill of the cinema with the laughter of friends, it's social VR movie-watching.

Now, a leak about Meta Quest's home theater environment has sent shockwaves through the calm waters of VR social, signaling Meta's ambition to claim the throne of social VR cinema and directly challenge the long-reigning champion—Bigscreen.

Meta's Cinema Dream: From Fragments to Integration

Meta's vision for VR cinema isn't new. As early as January, they announced a home theater environment for Horizon OS, aiming to let Quest users enjoy the thrill of the big screen in realistic settings. Yet, while the Quest platform has had scattered theater-like features, it has lacked a first-party social app for easily inviting friends to watch together. Meta's previous attempts haven't truly "stuck" with users.

A turning point may have come from former Horizon OS and Quest VP Mark Rabkin, who revealed the team was working on a highly anticipated theater environment, experimenting with lighting, effects, and immersive sound. At the time, it was unclear how Meta would bridge the gap between solo "theater view" and Horizon Worlds' shared live events (like concerts, comedy, sports). This leaked prototype video offers a glimpse behind the curtain.

An Accidental Peek: Copying Bigscreen's Core Experience?

Recently, X user "lukegotbored" (retweeted by "Luna") accidentally accessed a theater environment in development on Quest. The video clearly shows Meta trying to replicate some of Bigscreen's core social cinema features. Two users freely switch seats in a sci-fi auditorium, watching the "Hot Ones" talk show together—multi-user interaction on full display. Given Luna's track record of accurately leaking Meta's next-gen smart glasses, this leak is likely authentic. She even speculates this feature could debut with the next major Horizon Worlds update, letting users easily invite friends to join group movie sessions.

But copying isn't easy. Bigscreen's status as the benchmark for VR social cinema isn't just about offering Pluto TV and other streaming channels—it's about letting users "mirror" their own content to share with others. For Meta, this could be a major challenge.

Content Licensing Achilles' Heel: Meta's Dilemma vs Bigscreen's Wisdom

Allowing users to stream their own content at scale brings huge legal and technical hurdles for Meta, especially around licensing. Bigscreen has shown cleverness here: it doesn't actively stream unauthorized content, but also doesn't stop users from doing so. In Bigscreen rooms, you won't find "ghost" moderators shutting down sessions like in Meta's Horizon Worlds. This model shifts compliance responsibility to individual users, keeping the app itself relatively safe.

Whether Meta is willing to take on this risk remains to be seen. Its strict content moderation in Horizon Worlds stands in stark contrast to Bigscreen's laissez-faire approach.

Strategic Considerations: User Retention and Ecosystem Expansion

While the final scope of Meta's theater environment is unknown, offering basic social cinema features built into Horizon Worlds is clearly a key strategy for boosting user retention. Users won't need to install extra apps or leave Horizon Worlds to host movie parties, lowering barriers and increasing stickiness.

This isn't Meta's first time copying third-party app features. Guy Godin's Virtual Desktop pioneered PC-to-VR streaming on Rift in 2016, and many of its features were later integrated into Rift's system. In early 2021, Meta even temporarily blocked Virtual Desktop from launching on Quest due to its wireless PC VR streaming, only to approve it after releasing its own Air Link. History repeats: Meta has a pattern of absorbing successful third-party features.

The Future Battle for Social VR Cinema

Meta Connect 2025 is set for September 17, where we may learn more about Quest's theater environment. This leak reveals Meta's determination to build a richer, more attractive Horizon OS ecosystem—and its ambitions in social VR.

In this blue ocean, Bigscreen has built a loyal user base and strong reputation with its unique user-generated streaming. Meta, as a platform owner, has greater resources and reach. How will this VR cinema drama unfold? Can Meta break Bigscreen's user-generated streaming moat, or blaze a new path for social movie-watching? Time will tell.

In the future map of VR social, who will win the audience's "movie ticket"? Let's wait and see.