Well I've been doing free screening crazily this year. I got Warm Bodies chapstick, a Great Gatsby beach towel. I saw movies I never would have paid for. And I actually did review them all online - on imdb or my own fb - before they opened. I even liked two of them. They made me pose for a picture at Gatsby. At Evil Dead, I had to literally tell somebody off to even get a seat. I have no idea if this is worthwhile for studios, but you wouldn't want these people at your paid screening on opening weekend. And yeah, free stuff. Twenty years from now, somebody will think that's great kitsch when they see it at Goodwill.

Quite frankly, I stopped going to most of the screenings because, a) the lines were ridiculous and b) most of the movies ended up not being worth my time. I haven't really been entertained by most of the schlock they pass out as entertainment and lots of the time this past couple years, the screenings were there to get people to actually go to the movie and make it look good for the press and the studios. Lots of people wanting to go means possible good returns.
There's always a nugget that shows up as worthwhile, but most aren't. Will I be sad if the screenings go away? Sometimes yes, it makes me decide if I want to buy or rent the DVD later and really "watch it".

Why go to a screening when I can just download a shitty cammed version off of TPB before the movie ever even opens?

"Film criticism got democratized by the internet, transforming it from a smaller number of deep, still pools of knowledge and thought, into something more like a running hose carelessly tossed on a hot blacktop."

That's a nice line right there.

Who wrote this is clearly A critic who has god complex and think everybody else is screening rats and below him. Well a critic especially the one from small town in not even major publications is still screening rat. It's screening rat who happen to be critic. And I can bet whoever wrote this, my points in my regal crown cat should be a lot more yours. Who's the screening rat ?

If you are not happy and so bitter about the situation, quit being critics from unknown newspaper. Be critic in major publication so you will have a name attached to a chair with all the Hollywood actors. No need to see screening rats. But may be its difficult for you to upscale your career as we can all see your writing is bias and unprofessional. So here's the suggestion: if you don't like what you see, quit being critic. Pay for your movie. Don't come. Stop acting like a grandma who blame on the cookies because she doesn't have teeth to bite it. Ciao