The film—and the interactivity itself—were well received by teens but dismissed by critics and adult moviegoers as being "as gimmicky as three-dimensional glasses or scratch 'n' sniff" and "not like watching a real movie... more like rooting for a basketball team." A common criticism was that moviegoers would use the controls at vacant seats to vote more than once. Another concern was that the act of voting took moviegoers out of the story; it was thought that real-time interaction hampered the viewing experience, and engineers began working on an alternative technology that would let users customize movies before viewing began.
The film—and the interactivity itself—were well received by teenagers but rejected by critics and adult moviegoers as being "as gimmicky as three-dimensional glasses or scratch 'n' sniff" and "not like watching a real movie... more like cheering for a basketball team." A common criticism was that viewers would use the controls at empty seats to vote multiple times. Another concern was that the act of voting took viewers out of the story; it was thought that real-time interaction disrupted the viewing experience, prompting engineers to work on an alternative technology that would allow users to customize movies before they began.