MoviePass

[iacas]

On 10/23/2017 at 12:54 PM, nevets88 said:

Finally got a MoviePass, $10/month kind of unlimited, we'll see how long that lasts. 

So I have a couple of questions.

1. I've read, I think, that some movie theaters are digital in the sense that they don't need the physical card, which as I understand is basically a debit card. How do I find out which kind of theater is right here nearby me?
2. You can see a movie every day, or you have to wait 24 hours? I've seen conflicting info on this.
3. I can't go until the debit card arrives, but my subscription never technically starts until I use it for the first time?

I'm pretty close to getting it. I don't watch movies very often, but partly that's because it's $6-9 every time I'd want to go.

@nevets88, do you have any ideas?

[Pretzel]

43 minutes ago, iacas said:

You can see a movie every day, or you have to wait 24 hours? I've seen conflicting info on this.

This one is supposed to be one a day, from everything I've heard. Where were you seeing that you need to wait 24 hours? I've been looking into getting it myself since even if I got once a month it's cheaper than a movie ticket in my town.

[nevets88]

@iacas I think theaters that handle e-ticketing you don't need the card. Someone told me this but details are fuzzy. Try the Moviepass subreddit.

Haven't seen movies on back to back days so don't know about the 24 hour thing. 

I got billed around the time I got the card, before watching a movie using the card a couple of days later  

ToC recently changed as people are abusing privileges so what may hold now could change.

The app is buggy and the rules are chaotic so right now just diving in w/o reading the fine print carefully. 

Emphasis on the app is buggy. 

[Pretzel]

1 minute ago, nevets88 said:

ToC recently changed as people are abusing privileges so what may hold now could change.

From what I heard they changed it because of how specific people were gaming the system. People would buy 5 or 6 moviepasses for themselves, and then they'd go to a theater during the evening and offer to sell movie tickets for less than what the theater was charging. They'd get $30-60 a night, depending on if they could get 6 buyers, and then repeat it as often as they liked throughout the month. 

The ToC changed to say that Moviepass reserves the right to cancel your memberships if they determine you to be watching "too many movies" with the Moviepass. A dangerous precedent, but if they use it for what they said they'd use it for (to combat people who "watch" 5 or 6 movies in a day, day in and day out) it won't be an issue.

[nevets88]

There's a FAQ in the app. Not sure if you can access it without an account. 

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Try the Moviepass subreddit.

No thanks.

[nevets88]

The 24 hour thing:

 

[iacas]

It's now $6.95/month. It requires an annual payment ($89.95) plus a $6.55 processing fee. In other words, $7.50/month, but still…

Movies here in Erie are only $6.49, but still…

What I still don't get is… how is this possible? How is anyone making money on this? Are people really so lazy as to sign up and then NOT see even five or six movies in many places to break even?

[Pretzel]

It now requires a full year's payment up front? In that case I'm definitely less interested than I was previously.

[nevets88]

I think the per month option is still available. But yeah, a lot of people are waiting for the company to fold, probably watching movies like crazy before it does. 

The company claims stats that say most watch two per month mostly around summer and holidays. The annual sub you bet people are gonna forget. I've seen I think 8 movies so far in one month and that's about $120. There was one time where the pass only paid for a fourth of my ticket, to which I said no problem I'll pay for the rest. 

Anyways, based on the above average and revenues from customer data they think they can make money. Plus indiewirae said there's some kind of concession profit sharing how that works was not outlined. 

[nevets88]

Most of these articles don't have satisfying answers.

https://www.npr.org/2017/10/06/556041256/the-economics-of-a-monthly-movie-pass

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/moviepass-2-1202617425/#article-comments

[iacas]

5 hours ago, Pretzel said:

It now requires a full year's payment up front? In that case I'm definitely less interested than I was previously.

Only for the $6.95 special.

Movies where I live only cost $5.99 or $6.49. Matinees are $3.99, and that includes up to about 6pm I think. But even still I'm tempted, simply because if I've invested $90, I'm more likely to go. I like going to the movies, I just never think of it.

[Pretzel]

On 11/20/2017 at 7:48 AM, iacas said:

Only for the $6.95 special.

Movies where I live only cost $5.99 or $6.49. Matinees are $3.99, and that includes up to about 6pm I think. But even still I'm tempted, simply because if I've invested $90, I'm more likely to go. I like going to the movies, I just never think of it.

Oh, okay, that makes more sense. The cheapest movie tickets in my city, which has a participating theater, are ~$9 for the movies nobody is watching in the middle of the day, and $14 or more for popular movies. There's also a nicer theater about 15 minutes away that's $15+ and they look to also be included, so at that price I could honestly watch a movie every other month and still come out ahead.

[Hacker James]

I learned about e-ticket through my daughter. I really dont know the details,but simply witnessed her paying for admission for a group of us by using the display on her cell phone. Pretty neat!  Movie prices here are astronomical (depending), but places like Cineopolis have lounge chairs, waiters, food, whatever. OTOH, I find the new blockbuster, action films, like Superman vs Batman or whatever, so dark that I actually fell asleep during all the ruckus, if you can believe it!

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, Hacker James said:

I learned about e-ticket through my daughter. I really dont know the details,but simply witnessed her paying for admission for a group of us by using the display on her cell phone. Pretty neat!  Movie prices here are astronomical (depending), but places like Cineopolis have lounge chairs, waiters, food, whatever. OTOH, I find the new blockbuster, action films, like Superman vs Batman or whatever, so dark that I actually fell asleep during all the ruckus, if you can believe it!

This has almost nothing to do with this topic, James.

The topic here isn't "movies" or even "e-tickets." It's the MoviePass, which is a subscription service that lets you watch more movies at a fixed rate at participating theaters.

Please read - and stick to - the topics when responding.

---

My wife and I used our MoviePass for the first time last night. We saw Thor. Until her stomach got upset and we had to leave during the Hulk/Thor fight.

[nevets88]

Heading towards seeing almost $250 worth of movies this November and December yet paying only $20. An adult ticket at an arthouse theater Sunday was $17. No comfy seats, no 3D, no IMAX, no nuthin', just an old style theater with a balcony and feeling like a sardine in a packed house. Used MP on The Shape of Water, The Breadwinner and Call Me By Your Name (all birdies or better) this month so far. Will definitely see Coco and The Last Jedi (multiple times). Probably The Post, and a bunch of indie/foreign movies.

These last two months have been a boatload of really good movies.

[iacas]

You can't use it on the same movie, I thought, @nevets88.

[nevets88]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

You can't use it on the same movie, I thought, @nevets88.

Yeah, there's conflicting info out there. I'll try it, worst thing is I'll actually have to pay for a movie, what is that? Lol.