MoviePass

[jtsalien]

Anyone else here use the MoviePass subscription service? I recently signed up, and have seen 2 movies so far.

For those not familiar, the concept is you pay $9.99 a month for the right to see one movie in a theater every day. You get a MoviePass debit card in the mail to purchase your ticket. You find supported theaters on the app, go to the theater, check in with the app, and then purchase your ticket with you card.

It is currently accepted at the AMC at Orlando Citywalk. Disney Springs had been supported, but that was recently taken away. I can confirm that you can still earn Regal Crown Club rewards with your ticket purchase, but there seems to be some discrepancies with AMC Stubs.

So far I would recommend it. But you'll find others are reporting app issues, some local theaters not being supported, and long waits for their card. My time from signup to card in the mail was a little over the week.

 

[Viator]

I'm considering getting it once I have the chance. I find a lot of value to that, as I have two theaters fully accepting it in my town.

 

[Skipper Justin]

I signed up and waited 3 months for the card. Never got it. Support was non existent and did not get a refund. Seems to work for some but if a problem arises, you’re out of luck.

 

[jtsalien]

I signed up and waited 3 months for the card. Never got it. Support was non existent and did not get a refund. Seems to work for some but if a problem arises, you’re out of luck.

Yeah. That's what makes this so hard to outright recommend 100%. Seems to be very much your mileage may very.

 

[GadgetGuru]

I just recently got one, so I’ll give a quick review.

Costco sells discounted annual memberships on their website. I’d highly recommend buying it that way. It’s nice to think about having to see 5 movies a year (Seattle movie tickets are expensive :/) rather than one a month.

I had to apply for the credit card because none of my local theaters supported e-tickets. Took about 2 weeks to get my card, which was frustrating. It would’ve been more frustrating had I been paying month to month because my first month would’ve been wasted. They didn’t provide a tracking number either, so I had to hope that I wouldn’t have any issues getting the card.

The app is a little underbaked, but gets the job done. I’d recommend getting to the theater early to account for app issues. So many people use MoviePass at my local theater that the staff was very knowledgeable about setting up the app and going through the flow. I wouldn’t rely on them, since there’s no expectation that the theater staff would understand this third party app.

As for the whole experience, it worked pretty painlessly. I checked in at the theater on the app, selected the movie + showtime, then bought a ticket at the kiosk using the credit card. Worked like a charm.

The one hitch is that you can’t buy tickets online. For popular movies, this means you’ll have to make a separate trip ahead of time to buy tickets. That sucks.

 

[foodstampsFTW]

I signed up when they dropped the price back in August, and besides the almost month it took for the card to arrive, I love my experience I’ve had. I find the app really easy to use and I’ve never had an issue with it. The only real concern I have is the future of MoviePass. They’ve already dropped theaters that charge a lot and have high traffic, plus they just bought a movie at Sundance for $3 million. They’re losing money and I don’t know how much longer they can keep this up. Obviously a price increase is due in the next few months so if your considering joining up I would do so now. I don’t know if this is still the case but when I signed up it said that I would only be charged 9.95 a month for a whole year even if they do a price increase. If they don’t go bankrupt if the next few months, I would like to see different tiers with up charge experiences like 3D and IMAX included.

 

[DK745]

Signed up for it back in August the day the price dropped. Got my card 1-2 weeks later, haven't had any issues with it at all. Works at all the theaters around here that I go to, haven't had any trouble with app, etc...

I'm probably jinxing myself now but so far it's been awesome. I'd totally recommend it.

 

[darkridelover]

I signed up and got my card in 6 days. Great deal. I use it all the time.

 

[sjago13]

Got it back in November and got the Christmas deal for the year for 90$. Great value while it lasts.

 

[Viator]

For those living in California near Disneyland.

 

[joelbryant11]

I couldn't recommend MoviePass enough. I've had the service since back when it was $30/month. Even then it was worth it to me. At $10/month it is an outstanding bargain for a college student like myself.

 

[Skipper Justin]

Never received the card after 5 months and couldn’t get any help from the company. Cancelled and reordered with a different email. Got the card in less than a week. Who knows.

 

[JoeCamel]

I opened this thread expecting to see they folded. Not Yet?

 

[Viator]

I opened this thread expecting to see they folded. Not Yet?

Quite the contrary, oddly.

 

[JoeCamel]

Quite the contrary, oddly.

Wonder where they are getting the money?

 

[Viator]

Wonder where they are getting the money?

To put this to perspective, from the Washington Post back late in January, Moviepass has hit over 1.5 million subscribers onto it's program, and that they expect to top 5 million by 2019 with it growing in popularity.

 

[JoeCamel]

To put this to perspective, from the Washington Post back late in January, Moviepass has hit over 1.5 million subscribers onto it's program, and that they expect to top 5 million by 2019 with it growing in popularity.

Yeah and by last month it is 2 million. Subscriber fees don't cover what they pay the theaters. If all 2 mil wanted to go see the latest release they would have a serious cash flow problem. The liability of not being able to fund demand if it apears makes this a very shaky company.
I can hear it in the board room
"We are losing money on every subscriber"
Pitchman "Don't worry, we will make it up in volume....."
The numbers don't lie.

 

[joelbryant11]

Yeah and by last month it is 2 million. Subscriber fees don't cover what they pay the theaters. If all 2 mil wanted to go see the latest release they would have a serious cash flow problem. The liability of not being able to fund demand if it apears makes this a very shaky company.
I can hear it in the board room
"We are losing money on every subscriber"
Pitchman "Don't worry, we will make it up in volume....."
The numbers don't lie.

They make their money by selling off data about your preferences and habits to outside parties. They also get some royalties off of the concession sales.

 

[Coasted]

Wonder where they are getting the money?

I believe they are taking a loss now with the aim of controlling the market later (movie theatre tickets) ie if they become the dominant player they control the supply to the theatres and can demand a share of the theatres profits??

 

[JoeCamel]

I believe they are taking a loss now with the aim of controlling the market later (movie theatre tickets) ie if they become the dominant player they control the supply to the theatres and can demand a share of the theatres profits??

I think that is what they say is happening and it is a gamble. I think they will be dust in the wind by the end of the year.
UBER and Lyft are operating on a similar plan like Instagram, Snap and a myrid of other startups. Hoping for enough growth to support the spend before it all comes down like a house of cards.

I still wonder where they are getting the money.