Moviepass

[larrymcg421]

Anyone else using this?

MoviePass (https://www.moviepass.com/)

This is a monthly membership program for seeing movies in theaters. You get to see unlimited movies and the price is $34.95.

The way it works is they send you a credit card. You sign in to an app on your phone to check in at the theater, they release funds on your card and you buy a ticket with the credit card. It works at any theater that accepts Discover.

There are some stipulations. You can only see each movie once. You can only see one movie per day. It does not work for 3D movies.

I've been using it and it's worked really well so far. The 3D limitation doesn't bother me since I hate seeing movies in 3D. Plus, I still rack up points on rewards cards for free tickets if I ever do want to see something twice.

[Logan]

I've seen people talk about this on another forum I read. Seems like it's pretty simple...if you're the type that sees a bunch of movies per month already, it's a great idea. But if you're not, or are signing up thinking you'll start going a lot more, it most likely isn't for you.

[larrymcg421]

I've seen people talk about this on another forum I read. Seems like it's pretty simple...if you're the type that sees a bunch of movies per month already, it's a great idea. But if you're not, or are signing up thinking you'll start going a lot more, it most likely isn't for you.

Yeah, I'd say I average at least 3 movies per month over a year (37 total last year and that was less than usual), which is break even point for cost. There are more I would've seen if I had the money and I think I'd average 4-5 per month. It especially comes in handy during Oscar season and summer when there's a bunch of movies out at once I want to see.

I should note, since I omitted in the first post, that it is an annual membership. You are billed monthly, but there are cancellation fees if you cancel after the first 30 days but before the 12th month. The fees don't appear to be that restrictive, though.

[Raiders Army]

That sounds interesting, but I initially thought it was for streaming movies. In that case, it's definitely cost-effective. By buying one movie ticket, I'm somewhat meh. If I were single, I'd definitely go for it though.

[DaddyTorgo]

Interesting. Bummer you can only see any one movie one time though.

[molson]

Is moviepass returning to relevance?

It got stupid-expensive and restrictive the last few years, but apparently they've released a new $10/month 2D movie plan, with the only limitations being that you can only see 1 movie a day and only in 2D. Seems too good to be true, but the website is too slammed right now to see for myself. But, there's news articles about it:

https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/15/16150628/moviepass-pricing-subscription-fee-theaters

[larrymcg421]

Wow! Thanks for the bump! I literally looked at potentially rejoining this only a week ago and the price was $39.99. A 75% decrease definitely seems almost too good to be true. I can't get on the website either.

[molson]

Ya, this seems like it could be a real game-changer for the theaters. Reddit is freaking out and I'm not seeing any indication of other restrictions. This is the official release from moviepass:

"Dear MoviePass Community,

For the last several years, we have been testing a number of service offers and price points. We have learned a lot during this process and believe that we now have an offer that can’t be beat.

Effective today, we are introducing a universal subscription plan for $9.95 per month. MoviePass will have one price point nationwide and it will be for standard 2D films only. As a subscriber, you can see any movie, at any theater, at any time. For your convenience, we currently support more than 91 percent of movie theaters nationwide. Unfortunately, premium formats such as 3D and IMAX will not be included in this plan.

We believe that you want to see more movies in theaters. Our $9.95 per month subscription makes it possible for you to see a movie every day, if you would like.

For current members, your price will automatically be reduced to $9.95, beginning on your next billing cycle following August 15th.

As before, there is no contract, so you are free to cancel at any time. This price point will be guaranteed for at least 12 months for those who sign up during this period. Space is limited.

To all of those members who have supported us over the years, thank you! We look forward to continuing to provide award-winning service and giving you the largest selections of movies and theaters in the industry.

See you at the movies! The MoviePass Team"

The "space is limited" is the only thing that caught my eye - not sure if there's only X number of people who will be able to sign up, or if that just refers to theater space limitations. And I'm guessing the price will go up at some point, as they specifically mention the 12-month price guarantee. I'm guessing it will be $10/month for new users and then they'll eventually bump you up like many other service providers do after the first year. Though in that scenario, unlike cable or internet, you could just use different email addresses/credit cards.

[Easy Mac]

Why do all the best innovations only start after I stop caring for things. I've seen the Star Wars movies and Dunkirk in theaters in the last 2 or 3 years. Younger me would have been all over it. Also still have maybe 20 free tickets in the kitchen drawer that we never use.

[larrymcg421]

Unless they've changed it, I think the 1 per day rule is a bit misleading. It used to be that way at the beginning, but they then changed it to once per 24 hour period. So if you see a 9:30 movie tonight, you can't see a 9:20 movie tomorrow. That's not a huge problem at only $9.95/month, though.

[stevew]

Is there a list of theatres somewhere? Even at $30/month for me, my wife and the daughter not in college, it would be hella worth it.

Only downside is my town has some strange ownership group in charge of its theatres.

[molson]

Finding a list of theaters is a huge pain in the ass right now. The app isn't working.

But if you take this link and add your zip code to the very end, you get the raw website data.

MoviePass - Watch New Movies in Theaters (https://www.moviepass.com/theaters/zip/)

For example, in my area:

https://www.moviepass.com/theaters/zip/83705

I found this method posted here - you might also find a reference there to your town if someone else managed to look it up before everything blew up.

Where can I use MoviePass? – Support Center (https://moviepass.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001123731-Where-can-I-use-MoviePass-?page=2#comments)

[Izulde]

I quit going to movies in theatres because of all the damn people on their cellphones. Which sucks, because I love the movie theatre experience.

Count me in as another younger version who would be all over it.

[Logan]

If you are going to start subscribing now, I suggest getting your fix in before the company officially goes belly up. This reeks of a liquidity crunch.

[Butter]

AMC just said they were going to look into the possibility of blocking Moviepass from its theaters.

[molson]

AMC just said they were going to look into the possibility of blocking Moviepass from its theaters.

I didn't understand the business plan until I read these articles about AMC. Moviepass doesn't have deals with the theaters, they literally just buy the tickets full price from the theaters. So they're losing money on users who go twice in a month (and who just go once a month in some expensive parts of the country), and they're losing a LOT of money on users who go see everything they can. I know they sell customer data but I wouldn't think that could make up the difference.

I'll give it a shot while it lasts. It's the perfect time and place for me - Regal theaters within 1 mile of work and 2 miles of home, I live with girlfriend but have no kids, and for whatever reason, I haven't seen any of the bad movie behavior I hear about happening in other places. I never see people turn on their phones, and only rarely see people talking during a movie - and usually when that happens its older people at the artsy theater. (Though I wonder how much moviepass will increase theater attendance and thus increase the number of people acting like turds in theaters).

[Galaril]

So among the issue with AMC maybe blocking it There is no stopping them from doing this $10 deal and next month jackingnit up to $50 once they have got people signed up and locked in for a year with cancelation fees.

[Scoobz0202]

Unless they've changed it, I think the 1 per day rule is a bit misleading. It used to be that way at the beginning, but they then changed it to once per 24 hour period. So if you see a 9:30 movie tonight, you can't see a 9:20 movie tomorrow. That's not a huge problem at only $9.95/month, though.

I have only read this second hand so take this for whats its worth, but I've read that changed as well. Its 24 hours, but it resets at midnight. You can watch a 9:30 movie and also watch a midnight showing.

[molson]

So among the issue with AMC maybe blocking it There is no stopping them from doing this $10 deal and next month jackingnit up to $50 once they have got people signed up and locked in for a year with cancelation fees.

The revised plan is month-to-month with a 12 month price guarantee, per the terms of agreement presented at sign-up. No other fees were disclosed.

I guess services like this all rely at some level on people just not bothering to cancel and not using the service anymore, even through price increases.

I signed up yesterday so we'll see how it goes.

[tarcone]

This really got my attention. But the closest AMC theater is about an hour away. So I wont be participating.

[dubb93]

AMC just said they were going to look into the possibility of blocking Moviepass from its theaters.

Why? They have taken such a beating recently on stock price that I don't understand why they would turn away money. They are going to sell more full price tickets with this deal.

[dubb93]

DOLA: After reading the articles I see why they are doing so poorly. If they think it isn't sustainable why didn't they focus on making it sustainable? Captialize on the increased foot traffic by offering plans on food and drinks and/or counter with an unlimited movie/concession plan? They are making more money either way, but if they concern is that it isn't sustainable then they had an opportunity to try and make it sustainable for them. As it stands they just pissed off their new customers before they even stepped in the door.

[tarcone]

Dont concessions drive the success of theaters? If so, trying to get customers in the theater seems like a pretty good idea.

[JonInMiddleGA]

If they think it isn't sustainable why didn't they focus on making it sustainable? Captialize on the increased foot traffic by offering plans on food and drinks and/or counter with an unlimited movie/concession plan? They are making more money either way, but if they concern is that it isn't sustainable then they had an opportunity to try and make it sustainable for them. As it stands they just pissed off their new customers before they even stepped in the door.

Because I don't think there's any way to make $9.95 sustainable, for anybody, period.

They wouldn't seem to be making more money either way since the only people I can imagine doing something like this would be people that are already going to the movies more than once a month anyway.

[dubb93]

Because I don't think there's any way to make $9.95 sustainable, for anybody, period.

They wouldn't seem to be making more money either way since the only people I can imagine doing something like this would be people that are already going to the movies more than once a month anyway.

Disagree. MoviePass is obviously not making money on yjthe subscription(and time will tell if they make money on selling data), but there will be more butts in seats. They are going to capture more people than you are giving hen credit for. MoviePass is also paying the theatres full price. If MoviePass falters then the cards decline. End of story. Either way AMC certainly doesn't make any less money.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Disagree. MoviePass is obviously not making money on yjthe subscription(and time will tell if they make money on selling data), but there will be more butts in seats. They are going to capture more people than you are giving hen credit for. MoviePass is also paying the theatres full price. If MoviePass falters then the cards decline. End of story. Either way AMC certainly doesn't make any less money.

They do once the model flops, because you've then created an unrealistic expectation of pricing for x+1 number of movies in a month. It's a long range loser for the theaters even if they break even in the short term.

[NobodyHere]

So does movie pass work with highly anticipated movies as well? For example let's say I want to see Star Wars Episode 8 opening night. Can I waltz right in with my pass?

[stevew]

I was assuming MoviePass is getting some sort of marketing kickback from the studios? Something akin to the Tmo Tuesday 4$ tickets or the "buy this DVD get a ticket to movie X" things you see at Walmart.

And also what's to stop me and my wife from getting 2 passes and either going together or just one of us going with my daughter. My wife has a guy's name so basically if the passes were in her name and my daughter's, there'd be no reason to even ID

[larrymcg421]

I was assuming MoviePass is getting some sort of marketing kickback from the studios? Something akin to the Tmo Tuesday 4$ tickets or the "buy this DVD get a ticket to movie X" things you see at Walmart.

And also what's to stop me and my wife from getting 2 passes and either going together or just one of us going with my daughter. My wife has a guy's name so basically if the passes were in her name and my daughter's, there'd be no reason to even ID

They don't ID. You have a credit card, which is tied to the app on your phone. The funds on the card aren't released until you are near the theater, ready to buy the ticket.

You can't get two tickets on one account because you have to have two different phones and you're limited to one movie per day (and no repeats of the same movie). Now if you have two memberships, you could interchange your wife and daughter as long as your wife doesn't mind being without her phone for a couple hours.

[Butter]

So does movie pass work with highly anticipated movies as well? For example let's say I want to see Star Wars Episode 8 opening night. Can I waltz right in with my pass?

Yes, there are no restrictions to the movie or the time, except you have to buy tickets the day of. So for something that might sell out ahead of time, you are out of luck.

As far as getting more than one pass to a movie, you can't because it is one ticket per account per day, same day screenings only. So you aren't going to be taking people with you on the same account.

[molson]

Anybody else start using this yet since the revamp?

The company got overwhelmed and there have been delays in sending the cards out (they physical card is necessary because it acts as the debit card to buy the tickets).

I got mine early, had to wait a week or so to try it out, and used it at a Regal theater with no problem. From reddit, it seems that things are going smoothly at the bigger chain theaters with some hangups at smaller theaters for various reasons

[tarcone]

jUst checked their site. It sayd the movie theaters closest to me accepts them. Is that legit?


How does it work? Does it charge the card and moviepass puts money in it/

How is this a sustainable business?

[molson]

Once you install the app and tie it your physical card, you just go to the theater and "check in" to a specific movie and time on the app. (You have to be at the theater to do this). Then, moviepass loads money for the movie ticket onto your card and you get a confirmation on the app. Then, you just use the card just like any other debit card to buy a ticket.

I have no idea how or if this is a sustainable business. I haven't read or heard of a convincing explanation anywhere. But I'll enjoy it as long as its around.

[tarcone]

Is it any movie at any time? Or is specific times and movies?

Thanks for the answers.

I would go to a whole lot more movies with this.

[molson]

Any regular 2D movie at any time (no 3D or IMAX). You can only see one movie a day, and you can't see any movie twice. And you can't buy the tickets in advance, so premiere nights for big movies might be tricky. But I figure I'll use it a lot the downtown regal near my office just on the way home on random Tuesdays.

[QuikSand]

$7/mo now. I am fascinated by this.

[CrescentMoonie]

$7/mo now. I am fascinated by this.

Only if you do the 12 month plan, but it's still amazing. Already upgraded.

[Logan]

So what is AMC's issue here if they are still getting the full ticket price from the company directly? Is it like a Living Social/Groupon thing where they think users won't ever want to pay full price again after MP goes away/raises rates?

[dubb93]

So what is AMC's issue here if they are still getting the full ticket price from the company directly? Is it like a Living Social/Groupon thing where they think users won't ever want to pay full price again after MP goes away/raises rates?

I read that they shopped their own service to the movie industry and were basically shot down. The key difference is that they wanted to movie industry to eat the loss on lower ticket costs while movie pass is eating the loss themselves. I'm sure the price thing is what they are making public, but deep down they are pissed off that they got beaten to the punch. Hell, they might even still be actively trying to work out their own version and that would be a double gut punch.

I'm still not really sure how this lasts any amount of time at all. I saw that the CEO of the company says they only expect their average customer to watch 6-9 movies a year at the theater. If you run the numbers on that they are going to make money....but I really can't see that being a likely outcome for this company.

[molson]

They revised the terms and conditions a few months ago to try to cut back on people abusing the system. It just seems like there was a lot they didn't think of. Lots of members were buying a movie ticket every single day whether they actually went to the movie or not, just to rack up theater chain reward points

I don't expect it to last forever but it's been great my girlfriend and I. We live close to multiple theaters and go all time. It's also a great way to relax for a couple of hours when traveling. We're going to be in serious withdrawal when the party's finally over.

Edit: I see the new annual plan as a way to get more money upfront to try to keep the business going until the novelty wears off and they reach the mythical, nonsense 6-9 movies a year average

[cuervo72]

I have a co-worker who was doing that - they changed the ToS to state that you had to actually sit in the theater. I think he's still getting around it somehow.

He'd make a good FOF player, great at finding angles to shoot.

[Fidatelo]

Next will come the lifetime pass for $100. Then 3 months later the bankruptcy.

[tarcone]

Just saw on the news that Moviepass and a fanduel movie viewing subscription will be on sale at Costco. $89.99 for one year.

One week only/ Starting today.

Maybe this keeps moviepass afloat.

[Galaril]

Any updates from folks using this. I have a guy that works for me who said it is still going and he sees a bunch of movies for 9.99 total a month. I have five kids and the Mrs so not sure I would go out and get 7 passes but might try a pair for me and the wife and see how it goes. My neighborhood theater is subscribed to it.

[SackAttack]

What they're offering right now is 4 movies/month and an iHeartRadio streaming subscription for $9.99/month, I believe.

Older subs are grandfathered.

[molson]

I don't understand how this business would be sustainable even with a permanent 4/movie a month limit. They're not selling data, as we assumed they would, their business plan seems to assume that AMC and Regal will eventually fork over a share of the concession revenue and charge moviepass less per ticket than they would charge for non-subscribers. Which is very unlikely to ever happen. There was a theater executive who was quoted last week as saying that there's nothing that moviepass is doing that the theaters couldn't do themselves. Moviepass is an unnecessary middle man.

I've spent $80 to see about $400 worth of movies so far, and I'm sure I'm not even in the top half of their subscribers volume-wise. I'm happy to keep doing it as long as I can. And maybe Sinemia can outlive moviepass (they charge $15/month, billed annually, for 3 movie tickets a month, including IMAX and 3D, and you can buy the tickets in advance and reserve seats). It's a more sensible plan, but, even with them, I have no idea how even that's sustainable.

It's just crazy to think though how much of a hit moviepass takes with heavy users in places like NYC, where regular tickets can easily cost $15. A user going say, 20 times, is costing moviepass $300 in exchange for their $10. It's insanity. I can't remember another business ever offering a service like this.

Edit: There's a lot of speculation about whether the 4/month limit is permanent. Moviepass itself says that the unlimited plan will return after this "special" offer ends. They may be trying to limit their losses a bit during the big spring movie season and not get killed by Avengers and Solo. One thing I missed in the TOC when they did the revamp was that you now, you CAN actually see movies multiple times using moviepass. So if you want to see the Avengers every day next week for your $10 (which many people do), you can with moviepass.

[Logan]

The model never could work. And I know they said they're not "selling" data but that doesn't mean they weren't trying to monetize it in other ways.

I wish I realized from the jump that this was owned by a public company. Easiest short of all time missed.

[molson]

Easiest short of all time missed.

And wouldn't you know it, the company's stock tanked last week after an internal reported indicated that one of the "challenges" for moviepass was that nobody believed it was sustainable, and that might limit investment in the company.

[INDalltheway]

I am taking advantage of this pretty heavily. Probably averaging a movie a week and in Norther VA the movies are like $14. The best part is you can use the rewards for Regal/AMC and you can double dip. It's pretty insane to be honest. My wife and I reupped when they ran the special where you paid the year in advance for like $84.

[CrimsonFox]

They switched their plan 2 days after I was thinking of joining :(

So does this work? heard stories of their customer service not working and if the app doesn't work you are screwed.

[SackAttack]

They send you a card that you can use to purchase the tickets. AFAIK the app isn't required.

Though I haven't signed up yet, either. Was thinking about doing it after my tax returns came back but, uh...

[Butter]

They switched their plan 2 days after I was thinking of joining :(

So does this work? heard stories of their customer service not working and if the app doesn't work you are screwed.

Their customer service is poor, and if the app doesn't work you ARE screwed.

My experience has been a seamless one though. The way it works is you sign up, you get a card through the mail. Once you get the card, you go to a theater, check in to see a movie, then you put the last 4 digits of your card onto the app, which verifies and authorizes the card. You pay for your ticket with the card. The end. It's pretty simple.

[MrBug708]

They send you a card that you can use to purchase the tickets. AFAIK the app isn't required.

Though I haven't signed up yet, either. Was thinking about doing it after my tax returns came back but, uh...

Maybe I'm wrong, but you need the app to order the tickets. I havent tried without the app though

[molson]

Yup, you check in on the app when you're physically at the theater, and then you buy the ticket with your card, which functions as a regular debit card. So you have to have your phone and a functional app with you at the theater.

There are a small number of supported e-ticketing theaters. For those, you can check in on the app and buy your ticket elsewhere before you get to the theater.

[molson]

The moviepass CEO gave a non-committal answer last night about whether the unlimited plan is ever coming back for new users.

So since it hasn't been specifically mentioned here, and since moviepass doesn't make any of this clear at all, for all of you still riding the gravy train of unlimited movies, avoid split transactions at all costs. Moviepass has been banning users for this. Basically, when you check into a movie, moviepass puts money to cover the cost of the ticket on your card, plus a little extra. Your account will get red flagged if ALL of the money they put on your card is spent. There's a few ways that can happen. If you're seeing a movie with another moviepass subscriber, and you hand the cashier both moviepass cards, they sometimes ring up the total amount for the two tickets, charge one card it's max amount, and then the other card the leftover balance. So it's important to never let a cashier process two moviepass cards at a time. Buy one ticket, complete the transaction, then buy the second ticket. Also, sometimes a theater increases its prices and moviepass hasn't accounted for it yet. If a kiosk or cashier ever says, "you don't have enough on this card, you have to pay an extra 45 cents (or whatever)", cancel the transaction immediately, and either pay out of pocket for the whole ticket, or skip the movie. From moviepass' perspective, if you spend all of the money they put on the card, you're breaking some rule like buying concessions with the card, or buying a premium movie ticket.

You can actually look up your moviepass account history from the last few months here - what money is put on your card, what is spent, etc. This site is legit, and is used by the moviepass subreddit to help sort out reasons that users get banned, etc.

Find Card For Quick Balance (https://www.agileprepaid.com/Cardholder/Quickbalance/FindCard)

[CrimsonFox]

jeez!

[Fidatelo]

Today’s SEC filing suggests MoviePass’ time is running out (https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/8/17332188/moviepass-helios-and-matheson-sec-stock-price)

[larrymcg421]

I'm somewhat amused at some of the hysteria surrounding the Moviepass changes and the statement in that article about uncertainty if users could get their money's worth. If you got the card today, saw a movie today, you could get your money's worth out of it.

I actually now have to take a picture of my ticket and submit it on the app. So what? The value is worth it. (This was probably done because once I accidentally partially paid another person's ticket because the clerk rang them up together). Other people are freaking out over this. Can't see a movie more than once? That was the rule when I first signed up for Moviepass (See the 1st post) and was paying $34.95/month. And there are ways around that if it bothers you so much.

Sometimes the app doesn't work and you have to pay out of pocket (this hasn't happened to me yet, but to one of my friends) and get reimbursed later, because their customer service is so slow. Again, I say, so what?

Since the price change, Moviepass has paid more than $400 of movie tickets for only $80 of subscription fees. It would've been a good deal even at the $34.95 I was initially paying. It would still be a good deal if they limited it to 4 movies a month like they did briefly.

So yeah, I'm amused at people getting so worked up over everything as if they're entitled to see unlimited movies for $10/month for the rest of their lives. Enjoy it while it lasts and be "happy" when you don't have to deal with all those Moviepass restrictions anymore and get to pay $15 a ticket again.

[Fidatelo]

I'm somewhat amused at some of the hysteria surrounding the Moviepass changes and the statement in that article about uncertainty if users could get their money's worth. If you got the card today, saw a movie today, you could get your money's worth out of it.

I assumed that was in relation to people that purchase(d) one of the annual plans.

[larrymcg421]

I assumed that was in relation to people that purchase(d) one of the annual plans.

Yeah I get that and I hope my response didn't come across as a criticism of you for posting the article.

I still think this was something that was fairly obvious for anyone to see coming, which is why signing up for the annual plan was always a risky proposition (I stuck with the monthly for that reason). Since they stopped offering the annual plans at the end of March, I think most people on the annual plan will still be able to see more than the $70 worth of movies before Moviepass crumbles.

My bigger irritation is with all the hysterical complaints about the changes Moviepass is making, almost all of which were fairly easy to see coming, and none of which even make it close to a bad deal.

[molson]

I'm somewhat amused at some of the hysteria surrounding the Moviepass changes


I'm a regular on the moviepass subreddit and the mentality that people have there is amazing. So much bitching about how they're being "screwed" by a TOC change or having to take the extra step of a ticket stub.

It was 100% obvious from day one that this was a crazy idea and that there would be tweaks, hoops to jump through, cut corners, etc. You're either willing to take the ride or you're not.

edit: And people bragging about how they abuse the system is pretty infuriating. It was a dumb business plan to begin with, but I think moviepass also overestimated it's customer base. They thought people would treat this like a open bar at happy hour at a fancy hotel - enjoying a drink here and there but not stuffing their face as much as possible and then trying to take freebies home in their backpacks, or sneaking friends in to get free drinks too.

[Butter]

I'm a regular on the moviepass subreddit and the mentality that people have there is amazing. So much bitching about how they're being "screwed" by a TOC change or having to take the extra step of a ticket stub.

It was 100% obvious from day one that this was a crazy idea and that there would be tweaks, hoops to jump through, cut corners, etc. You're either willing to take the ride or you're not.

I'm with you. Even at $20 a month, I'm all in. Maybe even $40 a month if it includes 3D and premium seating. I have seen 24 movies since early December, so about 4-5 a month. Probably a few I wouldn't have seen otherwise. I already try to go to matinees, because I hate crowds.

But people should definitely just enjoy the ride. $10 was and is clearly a crazy unsustainable price point. I just wonder how long they will go before they acknowledge it and fully change the model.

Even a 50% retention rate at a more reasonable price has to be a win, right? That's still a million subscribers.

[sooner333]

I just got my card today. I’m trying to figure out if “premium theatre” means paying the extra $3 for a recliner for a 2D movie (which is maybe half the screens or more) at one of the local theaters. It’s a Regal, but the pricing is unique because it was a smaller chain until recently that gave all types of price points for recliner/grand theatre/balcony/etc. and Regal hasn’t changed it yet. The times show up in the app, but some people on reddit seem to think any up charge is premium. I don’t want to be black listed right after I got this.

[larrymcg421]

I use it for 2d recliner seats all the time, but not at theaters that have different prices. (Either they have the same price for all 2D or they are all recliner seats). I think you're probably good as long as the charge would be less than what Moviepass usually holds. If it uses the full hold amount and you still have a balance, that's when your account can potentially get flagged.

[sooner333]

Is there any way to tell what the hold amount is?

[TCY Junkie]

I use it for 2d recliner seats all the time, but not at theaters that have different prices. (Either they have the same price for all 2D or they are all recliner seats). I think you're probably good as long as the charge would be less than what Moviepass usually holds. If it uses the full hold amount and you still have a balance, that's when your account can potentially get flagged.

My girlfriend got upgraded recliner, not sure if she had to pay 2 dollars for extra charge or not. But definitely paid for regular entry. Since I remember could be it was extra..... didn't have issue. I read somewhere theater charge full amount on one card and rest on other if two people and this got people kicked. Make sure you pay one at a time.

[Edward64]

Don't really understand the business model but enjoy it while you can.

MoviePass is running out of money and needs to raise $1.2 billion (http://money.cnn.com/2018/07/02/media/moviepass-stock-debt-sale/index.html)
The owners of MoviePass need another $1.2 billion.
Helios and Matheson (HMNY), parent company of the popular movie subscription service, told regulators Monday that it wants to sell that much in stock and debt securities.

MoviePass exploded in popularity because of its low price. For just $10 a month, about the cost of a single movie ticket in most places, MoviePass subscribers can see one movie a day.

But the company loses money when its customers use a pass, because it must pay theaters for the tickets.

Previous SEC filings revealed that the company was burning through an average of $21.7 million every month operating MoviePass. In May it blew through $40 million.

Last month, Helios and Matheson said in another SEC document that it had only $18.5 million in cash on hand, plus $30.3 million in accounts receivable. It expected its June cash deficit would reach $45 million.

[albionmoonlight]

At least other failed startups TRIED to come up with a business model that passed the laugh test.

From what I can tell, MP.com never even bothered to do that.

[PilotMan]

It was always a race to scale. They needed to hit a magic number by a certain date and they've failed to reach that multiple times now. They felt that if they could be the Netflix/Amazon/Facebook of this industry that they'd own it and become indispensable. They felt like they needed a magic number to hit advertising goals and then could throw their weight around here and there, and it's just never quite worked out for them. It's why the theaters hate them and are fighting back with their own programs.

[Butter]

If the end state is that it gets theaters to roll out their own programs, I'm good with it.

[QuikSand]

I wonder if all along the whole idea was just to promote the idea, lose cash the whole way, and end up being purchased by Amazon? That seems to be the only way I can make a kernel of smart out of this whole thing. Lose $100m in the pursuit of selling out for $500m, or somesuch.

Regardless, I have really enjoyed watching this saga from a distance. I'm not a candidate to buy something like this, but it's been amusing to speculate about.

[molson]

I saw my 50th moviepass movie last night. So that's about $100 for 50 movies, at 5 movies a month.

Moviepass CEO Mitch Lowe did a reddit AMA a few weeks ago. He emphasized that all internet startups burn through money for the first year or longer. It's all about making a splash and then working towards profitability down the road. But there was still no magic solution presented about how this makes sense. He did say that the goal was to obtain more casual users to bring down the average-user cost and to eventually break even on subscriptions, and make money "by selling ads, engaging in brand partnerships and creating our own content." But still no explanation of how the math can work with subscriptions.

I guess they figure that at 5 million subscribers, there would be enough people who weren't using their membership to make it work. And at the stupid low price, more people would be willing to skip a month here and there or even forgot about their subscription. Whereas with AMC A-list, when you're paying $20 for three movies a week, you're more likely to go to three movies most weeks.

Surge pricing is coming soon, it will be interesting to see how prominent that will be. It will apparently be like uber - once a certain number of moviepass tickets have been sold for a showing, they will had a $1 or $2 surcharge to tickets. The goal is to cut back use on the coasts at the expensive theaters and to increase memberships in the rest of America who wouldn't be as impacted by surge pricing. AMC A-list may actually help with that - if you live in LA or New York (as something like 20% of moviepass subscribers do), AMC may be a better value than moviepass with surge pricing, so some of those heavy users may jump ship and save moviepass some money.

I love how the chains are starting to roll out their own programs, but there's a risk on their end too. The next entity to be pissed about the moviepass phenomenon may be the studios. They get a substantial cut of ticket prices, and that isn't impacted when moviepass buys a ticket. But, when AMC sells tickets at a much lower per-movie cost at a monthly rate, is the studio's cut smaller as well? And I wonder how this will change how box office numbers are reported. When someone uses an AMC A-list subscription to go to a movie, how is that tabulated - as a full price ticket, as a prorated portion of a subscription, or is all AMC subscription money pooled and then split according to movie attendance?

[Edward64]

Don't know why but didn't realize they were a public company. Always assumed they were a start-up or something. He's either brilliant or delusional.

MoviePass stock is 19 cents but the boss says everything is fine (https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/12/media/moviepass-helios-and-matheson-stock/index.html)
MoviePass' boss has a few words for his doubters: Don't worry. Everything is fine.

Helios and Matheson, the parent company behind the popular movie subscription service, has seen better days. Its stock has fallen 99% to as low as 17 cents per share from nearly $39 last October. That was just after MoviePass announced it was cutting its price to $10 per month.

MoviePass recently announced that it has 3 million subscribers. But the cost has also caused analysts to wonder just how sustainable the company can be.

[larrymcg421]

I really like the new AMC plan. It would be worth the extra $10/month for the ability to buy tickets/reserve seats in advance, but I frequent three indie theaters that would no longer be available to me.

[molson]

Looks like the end.

Stock tanked, huge reverse stock split, stock tanked again.

The service shut down last night and they did a SEC filing this morning indicating they needed to borrow $5 million to keep the service running. That wasn't great what for what's left of the stock.

Surge pricing was a last act of desperation. They sold it as if there'd be a $1 or $2 surcharge for huge blockbuster movies on weekend nights, but it ended up being, in some markets, up to $6 for the top 5-6 movies Thursday-Sunday. I had adapted to that - I saw the big movies during the week and the smaller indie movies on the weekend, but, the subscriber base was angry.

No AMCs around me, but movie tickets are fortunately pretty cheap here, and we have some great second-run theaters, so I'm thinking I'll end up paying around $20/month for 3-4 movies. Since this crazy moviepass year really did end up getting me hooked on going to the movies again.

[Edward64]

Definitely not good.

MoviePass couldn't afford to pay for movie tickets on Thursday (https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/27/media/moviepass-service-outage/index.html)
Helios and Matheson, the parent company of the popular movie subscription service, said that it had a service outage on Thursday because it couldn't afford to pay for movie tickets. The company borrowed $5 million in cash Friday to pay its merchant and fulfillment processors, according to a regulatory filing.

Helios and Matheson missed a payment to one of its fulfillment processors, and that contractor temporarily refused to process payments for MoviePass.

Some customers complained on social media Thursday that they couldn't use their MoviePass accounts to purchase movie tickets at theaters.

The company hasn't said whether MoviePass has resumed operation. But in a tweet late Thursday, MoviePass said that it recommended that users wait for a resolution or use e-ticketing, which it said had not been affected.

Stock in Helios and Matheson, meanwhile, tanked Friday from nearly $7 at market open to $3.58 by mid-morning.

The company approved a reverse stock split earlier this week to boost the price from 8 cents to $21 in an effort to keep it from falling off the Nasdaq stock exchange.

The price has been in freefall ever since. If valued at its pre-split amount, Friday's price would be equivalent to about 1.5 cents.

[Butter]

This has to be the end. Better see a movie this weekend, if it will let me!

[QuikSand]

Presumably a little too late with this, but...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w876zZZIb10?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This guy's YouTube account has quite a number of interesting, well done 5-minute (or so) vids on lots of topics. He's a smug shit, but does good work.

[stevew]

I wanna know the economics of DoorDash when they pay me 12$ to deliver a $3 cup of ice cream.

[NobodyHere]

Is the fat lady warming up for moviepass?

MoviePass couldn't afford to pay for movie tickets on Thursday (https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/27/media/moviepass-service-outage/index.html)

[SackAttack]

That's literally the same article from four posts ago. ;)

[bhlloy]

Moviepass CEO Mitch Lowe did a reddit AMA a few weeks ago. He emphasized that all internet startups burn through money for the first year or longer. It's all about making a splash and then working towards profitability down the road. But there was still no magic solution presented about how this makes sense. He did say that the goal was to obtain more casual users to bring down the average-user cost and to eventually break even on subscriptions, and make money "by selling ads, engaging in brand partnerships and creating our own content." But still no explanation of how the math can work with subscriptions.

I guess they figure that at 5 million subscribers, there would be enough people who weren't using their membership to make it work. And at the stupid low price, more people would be willing to skip a month here and there or even forgot about their subscription.

The economics just don't work any way you slice it. With 5 million subscribers they'd still need exponentially more people to forget about their memberships and not use it all than people who used it regularly. For every person who saw 4 movies in a month you'd need what - 2 people who didn't use it at all to break even?

I'm curious about Uber Eats and doordash as well FWIW. I've spoken to a few drivers over the last couple of months and they contradicted each other, one said he wouldn't even consider taking those jobs and the other said he actually got paid better doing Eats than he did on regular passenger rides. But either way, I don't see how they can get all those cheap ass McDonalds orders to the end user and turn a profit. I guess it's the same kind of thinking where one person ordering $80 of restaurant food might be making up for all those stoned college kids?

[stevew]

Eats sucks, you get paid very little and get stiffed on tip like 2/3 of the time. I basically only do it surges, or boosted. And it's a time sink too. Uber makes money on it because they take about up to 40% of the food cost and charge the rider for transport. You end up waiting 15mins for the food and get a high end of 6$ or so for delivery.


DoorDash is pretty good pay, I can make 25$+/hour doing that during dinner cause it's something like 12-15$ a delivery after incentive pay. Maybe more. I have zero idea how they make money as a company

[stevew]

Dola-

I believe eats is the only division of uber that makes a profit

[RainMaker]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/xUevXXw9ck">pic.twitter.com/xUevXXw9ck</a></p>&mdash; Nick Wiger (@nickwiger) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickwiger/status/1024033870461657088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[JonInMiddleGA]

MoviePass CEO announces in all-hands meeting that tickets to big upcoming movies will not be available on the app
https://www.businessinsider.com/moviepass-ceo-says-tickets-to-major-releases-will-not-be-available-on-app-2018-7

The Onion
(@TheOnion)
Cash-Strapped MoviePass Limiting New Users To One Movie Filmed In CEO’s Backyard Per Month

[molson]

Nobody has been able to buy a moviepass ticket at a non-partner theater (that's about 98% of theaters) for a few days now. It looks like everybody's blocked today, movies aren't even displayed up in the app, and the company twitter and facebook accounts have gone silent. The stock is back under a dollar just one week after the 250-1 reverse split.

A NY Post tech reporter says that moviepass will have an announcement of some type tomorrow. They're either not coming back, or they're re-emerging as a indy-moviepass that would only work with smaller movies and maybe the e-ticket partners. That STILL wouldn't be sustainable, because people who pay $10 are either going to find a way to buy more than that with moviepass, or cancel. But this is moviepass, they've been obsessed with illogical business plans since really day one even before the price reduction.

Edit: just a I finish typing that everything loaded back onto moviepass at some people on reddit claim they were able to check in and have money loaded (which you can check on that link I posted a while back). If it's really working, there will probably be a "run on the banks" the next few days, mitigated some by the mass cancellations the last few days.

[RainMaker]

I still think the only way a MoviePass can work is if it's done by the major studios teaming up.

[molson]

Well, they're going to keep at it I guess. From the press release this morning:

-Any movie over 1000 screens will not be supported by MoviePass in the first 2 weeks. (unless they're able to make some promotional deal with a studio for a particular movie). Peak pricing didn't turn out like they promised, so I would assume those thresholds aren't set in stone and that it will always be a surprise what movies are blocked.
-Price is going up to $15 a month.
-Continued rollout and refinement of the Peak Pricing program - which bets the question, if most movies are blocked the first two weeks, and then there's another category after that which is available but only via peak pricing - what exactly will be left in the third category (movies with no extra fee?)

And then the more vague shit they always talk about but that never amounts to anything

-Partnerships with 3rd party media inventory to increase scale and reach of marketing efforts driven by data
-Creating strategic marketing partnerships and promotions with studios, content owners, and brands

On my app right now, I have the top 4-5 box office movies blocked at the moment (and a random indy movie or two), and everything else available with no peak pricing.

[larrymcg421]

Is the first 2 weeks rule going to apply to the e-ticket theaters also? I have plenty of them near me, including a great indie theater.

[molson]

They didn't say. Driving people to these e-ticket theaters and picking up new ones to partner with is key to their survival though so I'd assume restrictions would be lesser or non-existent there.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Is the first 2 weeks rule going to apply to the e-ticket theaters also? I have plenty of them near me, including a great indie theater.

Okay, I'll bite: wth is an "e-ticket theater"?

I would have guessed that it was simply one where you had the option to buy your ticket in advance & have it scanable from your phone (like,say, concert tickets these days) but from the context here I'm thinking that it means something else.

File under #InquiringMinds if you will

[molson]

Okay, I'll bite: wth is an "e-ticket theater"?

I would have guessed that it was simply one where you had the option to buy your ticket in advance & have it scanable from your phone (like,say, concert tickets these days) but from the context here I'm thinking that it means something else.

File under #InquiringMinds if you will

The main thing is that e-ticket theaters have specific deals with moviepass. They give moviepass discounts on every ticket sold, and possibly a cut of concessions revenue. That was one of moviepass's goals from the beginning, to drive traffic to theaters and get a kickback that offsets its costs in buying the tickets. Unfortunately for them, they've only been able to make such deals with about 80 theaters nationwide, and no big chains.

So, at those e-ticket theaters, you can buy tickets online, and you're also not subject to surge pricing. And I expect that fewer (or no) movies will blacked out. Moviepass wants to drive traffic to those theaters to encourage others to sign up and give them discounts.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The main thing is that e-ticket theaters have specific deals with moviepass.

Ah, there we go. Thx.

[molson]

Yesterday, everything on the app looked normal most of the day, but then, at around 5:00 PM, everything dropped off almost nationwide - nothing available. It seems like there's a set amount of money they're willing to burn through every day, and once that's it, it's over for everyone for the day. The original moviepass had a similar restriction on a showing-by-showing basis, but this appears to be much broader. There were people who checked the app at home, then drove to theater, only to find that all the listings were gone.

My next billing date is coming up so I think that's it for me. I'm willing to deal with most of the restrictions and jump through all kinds of hoops, but if I can't know if the service will actually work until I get to the theater (unless I drive by the theater in the morning to get tickets for later that day) - that's just no fun.

I'll still follow along though, this has been a fascinating business (and customer base) to follow.

[larrymcg421]

Yesterday, everything on the app looked normal most of the day, but then, at around 5:00 PM, everything dropped off almost nationwide - nothing available. It seems like there's a set amount of money they're willing to burn through every day, and once that's it, it's over for everyone for the day. The original moviepass had a similar restriction on a showing-by-showing basis, but this appears to be much broader. There were people who checked the app at home, then drove to theater, only to find that all the listings were gone.

My next billing date is coming up so I think that's it for me. I'm willing to deal with most of the restrictions and jump through all kinds of hoops, but if I can't know if the service will actually work until I get to the theater (unless I drive by the theater in the morning to get tickets for later that day) - that's just no fun.

I'll still follow along though, this has been a fascinating business (and customer base) to follow.

What are your thoughts on the AMC plan? The only thing that kept me from it is there aren't any good AMC arthouse theaters in the area. There's a Regal one and a Landmark one (e-tickets!!!). But there's a really good AMC theater that is really hard to use Moviepass with because it sells out so quickly. The AMC plan's ability to buy tickets in advance might be worth it.

[molson]

What are your thoughts on the AMC plan? The only thing that kept me from it is there aren't any good AMC arthouse theaters in the area. There's a Regal one and a Landmark one (e-tickets!!!). But there's a really good AMC theater that is really hard to use Moviepass with because it sells out so quickly. The AMC plan's ability to buy tickets in advance might be worth it.

The AMC plan sounds awesome to me and the people who have swapped over from moviepass seem to really love it. Advanced ticketing, IMAX, no restrictions, 3 movies a week. I'd sign up in a second if I had any AMCs near me - but I don't.

I do wonder how sustainable the AMC plan is too. Obviously they're not burning money like moviepass, but I've read they still have to give the studios their take of the equivalent of a full price ticket for every ticket they sell. And for new movies, that's like 80% of each ticket that goes back to the studio. (More for Disney movies, less for movies later in their run). So if you see 10 movies in a month for $20 total, AMC still has to fork about over 80% of the $100 worth of movies you saw to the studio, assuming you saw mostly major releases in the start of their run. But unlike moviepass, they can make a lot of that back on concessions, and they can add restrictions down the line if need be - and I doubt many people are seeing 10 movies a month. And of course, that's an AMC problem, as a customer, I'd be all in.

[bhlloy]

In addition to the concessions they are probably also banking on a certain percentage of non-members coming with members to see these movies at full price, some of whom likely would have gone to competitors otherwise.

[stevew]

Can anyone see if the theatre in 16148 is movie pass e-ticket compatible. Dunno if this is easy to find

[molson]

Can anyone see if the theatre in 16148 is movie pass e-ticket compatible. Dunno if this is easy to find

Moviepass doesn't make it easy to find, but reddit to the rescue (looks like nothing in 16148).

faq/e-ticketing - MoviePassClub (https://www.reddit.com/r/MoviePassClub/wiki/faq/e-ticketing#wiki_current_list_of_ticket_theaters_.28updated.3A_7.2F19.2F2018.29)

[Edward64]

Still worth it?

MoviePass will limit customers to three movies per month (https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/06/media/moviepass-three-movies-per-month/index.html)
MoviePass, the struggling movie subscription service, will limit customers to three movies per month.

The company is trying to burn less cash so it can stay in business.

Under the previous plan, customers could see one movie per day in theaters. The change to three movies per month takes effect August 15. MoviePass says 85% of its customers already see no more than three per month.

The company also announced Monday that it will keep the monthly subscription price at $9.99. It is backing away from a plan, announced just last week, to raise the price to $14.99.
:
:
As part of its new model, MoviePass is doing away with a bunch of other changes, too.

The company will suspend surge pricing, which sometimes added as much as $8 to the cost of an individual ticket. And it will no longer enforce ticket verification, which required users to take a picture of their ticket stub and submit it to the company as a way to stop abuse of the service.

The new plan will also include "many major studio first-run films," according to the company. That reverses a change announced last week that would have cut access to blockbusters within the first two weeks of release.

[Butter]

Yes. At $10 for 3 movies a month, it is still worth it to me, especially if they do away with the opening weekend limitations and the surge pricing.

Are they going to make it though? Probably not.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Of course, some portion of that 85% this clown mentions were subscribed to the 3-per-month plan already ... which is now increasing in price for them.

[stevew]

Next step is to make it harder to cancel than a gym membership

[tarcone]

Next step is to make it harder to cancel than a gym membership

Thats funny. I had to go and buy a rental lease agreement at Wal-mart and show the gym I was moving back to Iowa from St. louis to get out of my membership.

[kurtism]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/moviepass-scammers-poop-popcorn-vengence

[molson]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/moviepass-scammers-poop-popcorn-vengence

Buying a ticket and not watching the movie is technically a violation of their TOC, but it's obviously one that they couldn't ever enforce.

And it was always fun to see the ways some people felt the need to justify their abuse of the service. (the ones who actually violated the TOC, not just the heavy users). It was just like pirates - they only did it because the company harmed them first somehow, by not offering the product on the price and terms that they wanted and felt they were entitled to.

I haven't cancelled yet, but I'm keeping a close eye on the app and it's not usable for me yet. This week, if I checked the app at about 6:30 PM, after work, I could go to Slender Man and that's it. Even the discount second-run theater was completely blocked. The most optimistic analysis is that they're going to make it extremely difficult to see anything until 9/15 when everyone is on the 3-movies a month plan, otherwise, there will be a run on the theaters by people trying to get their last unlimited movies and reward points in. And then on 9/15, we'll get that version of moviepass Mitch Lowe claimed we'd see where blockbusters are blocked for a few weeks after release but most everything else is available.

As of now though, I haven't actually managed to see a movie since 7/22. Though there was a 5-day vacation in there.

[Butter]

It's 8/15, supposedly this week. But yeah, they have been limiting it to 2 movies a day, and it was the same couple all weekend. Slender Man, The Meg, and sometimes The Spy Who Dumped Me.

I went to see Black Klansman this past week somehow. But Mission Impossible has still NEVER been available on the app for me, and this is going into Week 4 of its release, I believe.

[molson]

It's 8/15, supposedly this week. But yeah, they have been limiting it to 2 movies a day, and it was the same couple all weekend. Slender Man, The Meg, and sometimes The Spy Who Dumped Me.

I went to see Black Klansman this past week somehow. But Mission Impossible has still NEVER been available on the app for me, and this is going into Week 4 of its release, I believe.

Apparently, (and nobody can really know anything about moviepass going forward), when you hit that opt-in button you're in the new plan at the start of your next billing period. The latest day people can opt-in is 8/15, so everybody should be moved over by 9/15.

I got a weird email from moviepass saying advertising Mission Impossible specifically for Tuesday. I wouldn't be surprised if that's one of the two movies available all day Tuesday. It seems like they've gotten behind one movie a week in that matter, maybe through a deal with the studio. Slender Man last week and the The Spy Who Dumped me the week before.

[CrimsonFox]

I'm ready to cancel. I do not want to be limited to crass ppy movies I don't want to see.

[molson]

Moviepass got a bit better the last few weeks, I was mostly able to rely on the app - an evening movie time that showed as available during the day was still available when we got to the theater at night (though from reddit, I know this was still hit and miss for some people). There were generally 4-5 movies available each day, and they cycled daily so I was able to catch what I wanted, just not always on the day and time I wanted.

But, with my billing date coming up, I've cancelled and have signed up for Sinemia. Which is a little terrifying, because I paid for the year in advance. That's risky both because that company could implode too, and because Regal could launch a subscription service any day and then that would suck to be locked into Sinemia. But, I took the chance, and with 3 movies a month at $10/month I'd break even in about 4 months.

With that plan on Sinemia (in theory), every 2D movie at a fandango/Atom-capable theater is available, you can buy tickets in advance, and you can earn reward points with Regal and Atom/fandango. Sinemia makes you pay the fandango/atom convenience fee when there is one, but, at least for the moment, that's waved if you go through Facebook movies, and even after that, reward points on Atom and fandango basically cancel out the fee.

My final moviepass tally was 12 monthly payments, totalling $120, for 56 movies, average movie cost of $2.14. Plus a shit-ton of free popcorn with all the Regal Reward points.

[molson]

Thought I'd check in here again. Moviepass is still unusable and blocks most movies. It's a great service if you want to pay $9.99 just to see Indivisible and no other movie this month. I don't regret cancelling, nor do I regret using the service to the fullest when I could. It was so fun to just see everything I had any remote interest in without thinking about cost at all.

I've signed up for Sinemia, and it's been pretty terrifying. I paid $120 upfront for a year of 3 movies a month. So, $3.33 a movie, certainly a great deal if it was that simple. But about a month in, they started charging everybody a random $1.80 processing fee per ticket, regardless of what plan you are on, and regardless of what the terms were when you signed up. And, there's many reports of them cancelling memberships for vague alleged violations of rules. So you could pay $120 up front, and then they just could dump you month 1 and you're out all that money. And it's kind of a pain in the ass to use. You login in, order an advance ticket, they give you a one-time debit card number to use on fandango or Atom. Which works some of the time. And you're on the hook for convenience fees imposed by fandango and atom. Facebook is currently running a promotion where you go through their site to buy tickets at fandango or Atom, they waive the fee. That helps, but it only works 75% of the time for me. Then when you get to the theater you have to check in on the app.

A lot of users have managed to get credit card chargebacks due to Sinemia's shady practices, but I'm hanging in there, determined to get more than $120 worth of movie tickets out of them. Meanwhile, I just hope that Regal comes out with some subscription service like AMC did (since there's no AMCs near me). Moviepass kind of got me addicted to movie-going so I'm regularly scheming to get my fix.

And moviepass, as a company, is so far down the shitter it's ridiculous. I know another reverse stock split is on the table, and I forget the exact math, but $1,000 invested in moviepass last year would be worth something like a third of a penny now. And they're apparently splitting off from their parent company to form their own, independent, economically non-viable, shady, company.

[larrymcg421]

Moviepass dropping Studio Movie Grill from their e-ticket list was the final straw. I signed up for AMC and I love it so far. I almost forgot what it was like to be able to buy tickets in advance. Also, the monthly fee counts towards your rewards points, which is pretty cool.

[Butter]

I dropped Moviepass about 2 months ago. They really screwed the pooch by not selling about 4 months ago, before everybody realized how terribly run they are.

[CrimsonFox]

I am seriously tired of not being able to watch the movie i want. I have heard about amc. Perhaps I need to switch.

[Edward64]

FWIW

https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/stock-market-news-today-021319/h_d4a1117cfd8e3589163be8217602fbc2
The Nasdaq has finally dumped MoviePass.

Helios and Matheson (HMNY), the parent company of the movie subscription service, said Tuesday in a government filing that it was delisted from the index. The company failed to meet an important Nasdaq requirement: Listed stocks must trade above a dollar.

Falling off the Nasdaq had been a danger for Helios and Matheson for months. The company tried to boost its stock price last summer from 8 cents to $21. But that plan didn't work.

Trading of the stock will be suspended at the start of business Wednesday, according to the filing. Helios and Matheson says it does not intend to appeal the decision right now, and shares will still be eligible to trade over the counter.

The delisting "has no effect on the day-to-day business operations" of Helios and Matheson and its subsidiaries, including MoviePass, a company spokesperson said Wednesday.

The company added that it will still go ahead with plans for a partial spinoff of MoviePass.

[molson]

I've managed to last 6 months with Sinemia without getting kicked off, and I just broke even, including fees. So, I get essentially 18 free movies over the next 6 months, as long as they stay in business and I don't get cancelled for forgetting to check in or something.

I hope there's a better subscription option in 6 months. Come on Regal!!

[Logan]

Moviepass has enough cash for enormous billboards in Times Square at least.

[molson]

Update

Sinemia, dead, as of a few months ago. Sucks for you if you bought a year-long subscription (some credit card companies did chargebacks, some didn't - mine did).

Moviepass on "hiatus", may never return, was not really a viable option for months before that.

But the long-awaited (at least for me) Regal subscription plan will be released in the next week or two. $18, $21, or $23.50 a month (with a 12-month commitment) depending on your location and theater. Unlimited 2D movies - even multiple movies in he same day if you want. You can reserve tickets ahead of time on the app for 50 cents (and have up to 3 reservations at a time), or buy same day at the box office or kiosk without a fee.

There's a Regal a few blocks from my work, and another about a mile from my house, so I'm looking forward to going 5-6 times a month or more like I did in the moviepass days.

Edit: The Regal Unlimited website with theater tier lists and other info is live now if you go through the backdoor, it's not yet linked to the home page

Regal Unlimited - The Unlimited Movie Pass | Regal (https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/unlimited)

[larrymcg421]

I've been using AMC for a while now and I love it. The Regal plan presents an interesting conundrum for me. AMC has much better theaters in my area, so it's better for seeing big budget movies. However, they have no indie theaters in the area, so I can only see indies that are big enough to make it to the big theaters. Regal has the Tara, which only plays indies, and many of them are ones that don't make wide release. But their nearest theaters for seeing big budget films aren't nearly as good as AMC's.

[thesloppy]

Ironically, as little sense as it made for a middle-man, it actually seems like a pretty solid business plan for the actual movie theaters/chains. I might check out the Regal subscription and it's probably been literal decades (millennia?) since I last spent $18 in the same month on movie theater tickets.

[SirFozzie]

Update

Sinemia, dead, as of a few months ago. Sucks for you if you bought a year-long subscription (some credit card companies did chargebacks, some didn't - mine did).

Moviepass on "hiatus", may never return, was not really a viable option for months before that.

But the long-awaited (at least for me) Regal subscription plan will be released in the next week or two. $18, $21, or $23.50 a month (with a 12-month commitment) depending on your location and theater. Unlimited 2D movies - even multiple movies in he same day if you want. You can reserve tickets ahead of time on the app for 50 cents (and have up to 3 reservations at a time), or buy same day at the box office or kiosk without a fee.

There's a Regal a few blocks from my work, and another about a mile from my house, so I'm looking forward to going 5-6 times a month or more like I did in the moviepass days.

Edit: The Regal Unlimited website with theater tier lists and other info is live now if you go through the backdoor, it's not yet linked to the home page

Regal Unlimited - The Unlimited Movie Pass | Regal (https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/unlimited)


I had bought a year's subscription to Sinema four weeks before it collapsed, neer had a chance to use it. Thankfully I was able to get a refund

[Butter]

The predominant chain in my area is... Cinemark. Whose subscription service consists of spending $9 a month for a single movie ticket and then getting unlimited tickets for $9 a month. Which is great, except their early bird price is $6.50. And I tend to watch movies on weekend mornings/afternoons.

Meanwhile, AMC and Regal are both like a half hour drive from my house.

What I'm trying to say is Cinemark can eat a dick.

[stevew]

My local theatre is some random group. It’s frustrating

[TCY Junkie]

The predominant chain in my area is... Cinemark. Whose subscription service consists of spending $9 a month for a single movie ticket and then getting unlimited tickets for $9 a month. Which is great, except their early bird price is $6.50. And I tend to watch movies on weekend mornings/afternoons.

Meanwhile, AMC and Regal are both like a half hour drive from my house.

What I'm trying to say is Cinemark can eat a dick.
There's a cinemark mile from me who has movies out a while. They are around 2 dollars. Nice theater, but not one mention of cinemark on outside of building. Guess they want everyone to go to the mall cinemark across the highway.

[larrymcg421]

Regal Unlimited - The Unlimited Movie Subscription Pass | Regal (https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/unlimited)

Regal Unlimited is live now. My thoughts...

Annual Commitment - You have to have the plan for one year. There doesn't even appear to be a buyout option, like the old school Moviepass had.

Unlimited - No limit of three per week like with AMC's plan.

Monthly - Three tiers of $18, 21, and $23. For me it would be $21 for all the theaters in my area.

Fees - 50 cents each time you use the app to buy a ticket in advance. Extra fees for "VIP seating", and any premium formats like IMAX, 3D, etc. AMC has no surcharge for these.

The only thing that made me even consider it is it would include the Tara, which is my favorite indie theater and often plays indies that never make it to an AMC. But there are too many drawbacks, so I'm sticking with AMC.

[molson]

I signed up just after midnight local time when it went live this morning like a big weirdo.

No AMCs near me though so it was an easy choice and I don't have to weigh those two services. It's also nice that I'm the lowest cost tier and in a town where even moviepass didn't seem to move the needle of theater attendance much, and there's only one IMAX screen showing 1 movie at a time. So it's easy enough to just get tickets with no fee at the kiosk for everything except maybe opening weekend and blockbusters, which I rarely do anyway, or to pay the IMAX upcharge in the rare event I want to do that.

Edi: There's reports on reddit that some regal employees are completely bewildered by how this is supposed to work....I'll maybe give it a few days before I use it.

[larrymcg421]

I signed up just after midnight local time when it went live this morning like a big weirdo.

No AMCs near me though so it was an easy choice and I don't have to weigh those two services. It's also nice that I'm the lowest cost tier and in a town where even moviepass didn't seem to move the needle of theater attendance much, and there's only one IMAX screen showing 1 movie at a time. So it's easy enough to just get tickets with no fee at the kiosk for everything except maybe opening weekend and blockbusters, which I rarely do anyway, or to pay the IMAX upcharge in the rare event I want to do that.

Edi: There's reports on reddit that some regal employees are completely bewildered by how this is supposed to work....I'll maybe give it a few days before I use it.

Yeah, I'd definitely sign up for it if I didn't have AMC as an option. It's still a great deal even with all the "drawbacks". Hell, the original Moviepass I had at the beginning of the thread (for $34.95 a month) was a great deal for me.

[Izulde]

There's a Regal literally within walking distance of me so I'm tempted to jump on that. $21 tier but it could be worth it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

MoviePass Owners Put Shuttered Service Up for Sale, Ending Drama (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/moviepass-owners-put-shuttered-sale-202952239.html)

[CrimsonFox]

it still works tho. I just saw a movie with it the other day

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0mwcXhiqvCw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[molson]

The crazy thing is, even the last months to a year when moviepass was unreliable, they STILL lost money on every user who managed to see 1-2 movies in a month, and moviepass was still a good deal for those users.

Regal Unlimited has been flawless so far. Moviepass screwed their investors and likely committed crimes, but, they were the best thing ever to happen to movie-goers. They bought us so many movie tickets, and now that AMC and Regal both gave in and started subscription plans, neither can really drop them.

[CrimsonFox]

yeah moviepass would try their shit and make movies unavailable at different times. and the app wouldn't work all the time. But I'm flexible and would reboot my phone and suddenly things would work or I would see one of the few movies they offered or whatever. I'm still getting my money's worth

[Edward64]

Dead, more dead, and deader.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/media/moviepass-bankruptcy/index.html
The curtain has come down on MoviePass after the company filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday.

MoviePass was once a revolutionary ticketing service that let people see an unlimited amount of movies for cheap. The company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that it considered "strategic alternatives," but couldn't find any.
Helios and Matheson (HMNY), MoviePass' parent company, also filed for bankruptcy this week. Both businesses will liquidate their assets. Helios and Matheson's stock, which was once worth $5,100 (adjusted for stock splits) is now at zero.

[molson]

You can read the entire bankrupcy filing here:

MoviePass_Inc__nysbke-20-10244__0001.0.pdf | DocDroid (https://www.docdroid.net/KZPTlwH/moviepass-inc-nysbke-20-10244-00010.pdf)

If you were a member until the very end, and especially if you paid for an annual membership you didn't complete, your name may be in here as a creditor.

Don't hold your breath though, reported liabilities are $198.7 million. Assets are between $1 and $10 million.

[albionmoonlight]

You can read the entire bankrupcy filing here:

MoviePass_Inc__nysbke-20-10244__0001.0.pdf | DocDroid (https://www.docdroid.net/KZPTlwH/moviepass-inc-nysbke-20-10244-00010.pdf)

If you were a member until the very end, and especially if you paid for an annual membership you didn't complete, your name may be in here as a creditor.

Don't hold your breath though, reporters liabilities are $198.7 million. Assets are between $1 and $10 million.

Not so much a company as a mechanism through which venture capital firms helped young people get cheap movie tickets for a few years.

This has all the makings of a good documentary once all the dust has settled.

[larrymcg421]

Thank you, Moviepass, for your stupid, shortsighted, ridiculously unworkable business plan. I now spend so much less money to go to the theaters.

[JonInMiddleGA]

This has all the makings of a good documentary once all the dust has settled.

You probably ain't wrong.

[molson]

Thank you, Moviepass, for your stupid, shortsighted, ridiculously unworkable business plan. I now spend so much less money to go to the theaters.

Regal Unlimited is the last entertainment subscription I'd ever drop. I wish it was around my whole life. It feels weird to be so thankful to a entity that ripped off so many investors and probably committed many crimes for leading the way with this, but, still - thanks moviepass!

Hopefully all of the theater-specific subscription services stick around long-term. I haven't heard much about how they're impacting the bottom line of these companies in the time since all the moviepass drama ended, but, I hope they're all doing well with it.

[larrymcg421]

Regal Unlimited is the last entertainment subscription I'd ever drop. I wish it was around my whole life. It feels weird to be so thankful to a entity that ripped off so many investors and probably committed many crimes for leading the way with this, but, still - thanks moviepass!

Similar to how Napster, which definitely broke laws, ended up leading to music being far more accessible.

Hopefully all of the theater-specific subscription services stick around long-term. I haven't heard much about how they're impacting the bottom line of these companies in the time since all the moviepass drama ended, but, I hope they're all doing well with it.

The difference I see here is they are at least getting some direct benefit in increased concession sales when people come more often. Moviepass was trying to tap into that market, but outside of their Studio Movie Grill theaters, were not successful. Whether those increased sales are enough to offset the ticket reimbursements long term remains to be seen.

[Kodos]

Moviepass back from the dead? Now with blockchain and enforced commercial watching!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NavvcncLcYY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[molson]

You'd think the movepass brand name would have a negative value to a project like this.

I'm glad I'm in a Regal town, nothing they can do will top Regal Unlimited for me. Though we are down from 2 Regals to just 1 now.