Cantor Exchange

Alright, I believe in a free market, and I believe in stock and trading, but I have to say that this seems a little far fetched to me.

Cantor Exchange -
(A warning, the site is poorly designed. It looks like they didn't publish their flash movie correctly, and they have it embedded in a fixed width table at 1280 pixels wide that will really wreak havoc in many people's browsers.)

"For the first time ever, entertainment professionals, traders and movie lovers alike can hedge and speculate on the ticket sales of Hollywood blockbusters. With real-time quotes and 24-hour trading, Movie Box Office Contracts on the Cantor Exchange will give traders a chance to experience a stake in movies based on a film’s box office performance."

They are proposing that we trade movies like the futures market. I understand it, but at the same time, I really don't. Sure, we all knew The Day the Earth Stood Still was going to do pretty well in the the box office, just like we know that Doubt would not. Even though, without having seen either of them, I know that Doubt is likely a superior movie to The Day the Earth Stood Still on almost every levels (except as having a terrible lead actor in a remake of an already terrible movie).

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on this. I'm curious to see if they get approved, and if they do, how it works out. I'd like to think that I could do fairly well on the movie market, but I feel like even a chimp could predict box office draws these days.