Dope was a major hit at Sundance. And now it's the first movie you can pay for in Bitcoin.


On Friday, you'll be able to pay to see the Sundance hit Dope... with Bitcoin.
Dope, a coming-of-age teen comedy that sparked a dramatic all-night bidding war between Open Road and Sony in Park City last winter, is director Rick Famuyiwa's fourth feature, about a trio of geeky teens who accidentally find themselves with a stash of drugs to dispose of (or, rather, sell). Breakout star Shameik Moore plays the lead, Malcolm, but Bitcoin, too, has a featured role in the film:
Early in the film, Malcolm says, "I just read that money as we know it is dead. Soon the world is only going to buy and sell products using Bitcoins. It's like a complicated math equation." When Malcolm and his friends get in a jam and need to sell drugs quickly and quietly, they look to Bitcoin. [The Wrap]
Dope opens on 2,000 screens nationwide, with over 900 theaters accepting tickets from MovieTickets.com, which will allow Bitcoin purchases using the payment platform GoGoin. The transaction is "similar to a credit-card purchase," according to The Wrap.
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"Bitcoin is an integral part of Dope and we could not be more excited to bring this unique new opportunity to moviegoers," Open Road Chief Marketing Officer Jason Cassidy said in a statement.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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