# Looking for opinions and information on Movie Pass **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886 "2017-08-17T18:24:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/61 "2017-08-20T23:03:09Z")
Equipoise I mean this is the nicest possible way but I think you and I are on the furthest apart extremes of the movie-watching public. I honestly don’t think I COULD watch that many movies since January, even counting watching stuff at home. :eek: I watch movies with big groups of people, mostly as a social thing. We get together and decide ahead of time what we are all willing to see together and we’ve all always got someone who is short on cash or someone who owes someone back for something else, and some people have child-care issues or weird late shifts at work, so we’re always having one person just buy everyone’s tickets ahead of time and we sort it out later. Bottom line is that I’m into movies as a social scene, and this isn’t really set up to be social the way my group of friends handles things. I answered what I thought they could change to make me interested, and I’m sure some of my friends have gotten it or are going to get it and they’ll think it’s great too! It just seems like those of you who it does work very well for are being a little ‘crossfit-y’ about the fact that it’s not going to fit everyone’s lifestyle or be quite as good a deal for everyone. The thread asked for opinions, and I honestly don’t think that my concerns about it are threadshitting, nor are they meant that way. I’m not trying to convince anyone NOT to use it, just trying to explain why I’m probably not going to myself. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/62 "2017-08-20T23:34:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You act like the decision not to have a smart phone is just an issue of being cranky. With me, it’s a financial decision. Buying and maintaining a cell phone would cost several hundred dollars. Spending that much money just to save money on movie tickets would be foolish. If your income is really that low, you might qualify for “Lifeline Service” (often called an “ObamaPhone” even though the program started under George W. Bush.) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/63 "2017-08-21T01:53:52Z")
I’m in agreement with AMC. This is the kind of scammy, manipulative operation that we don’t need any more of in our economy. Instead of doing something that adds actual value, it’s trying to amass power so it can run a protection racket on the movie theaters later. And I’m more than sick of the endless attempts to data mine people so that we can be sold to more effectively. In this case, I don’t even think it’s possible to get an amount of information valued anywhere near the massive loss leader they are running with the price discount. For those who find value in the service, cool. Enjoy it while it lasts. It does sound like a great deal. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/64 "2017-08-21T02:04:59Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I’m in agreement with AMC. This is the kind of scammy, manipulative operation that we don’t need any more of in our economy. > > Instead of doing something that adds actual value, it’s trying to amass power so it can run a protection racket on the movie theaters later. > > And I’m more than sick of the endless attempts to data mine people so that we can be sold to more effectively. In this case, I don’t even think it’s possible to get an amount of information valued anywhere near the massive loss leader they are running with the price discount. > > For those who find value in the service, cool. Enjoy it while it lasts. It does sound like a great deal. As I mentioned earlier, two large theater chains in the UK have an unlimited program. Each is charging £17.99 per month, so there is a business model. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/65 "2017-08-21T02:47:19Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > You know, what the fuck ever. > > … > > MOVIEPASS PAID FOR ALL OF THOSE! Thank you MoviePass! You seem…well…let’s say…emotionally invested in this discussion…perhaps a bit much… ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/66 "2017-08-21T02:53:41Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > As I mentioned earlier, two large theater chains in the UK have an unlimited program. Each is charging £17.99 per month, so there is a business model. That’s not the same thing. That’s the movie theaters deciding (wisely or foolishly) to sell _their own_ product at a specific price (that also doesn’t sound crazy-low to me). And the movie theater knows that the buyer is coming to their chain only and can possibly spend further money there on concessions, bring friends, etc. Moviepass is selling _someone else’s_ product at a ridiculously low price, and that’s access not to one chain but to _most_ chains. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/67 "2017-08-21T03:01:27Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > You seem…well…let’s say…emotionally invested in this discussion…perhaps a bit much… Yes. I love MoviePass. Why is that a problem? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/68 "2017-08-21T03:06:19Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Yes. I love MoviePass. Why is that a problem? Only that some of your posts are coming across as kind of angry at that those of us who are expressing why we don’t think it’s such a great idea for our own moviegoing habits. It works great for you – more power to you! But, not everyone sees movies the way you do, or likes some of the features of it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/69 "2017-08-21T03:23:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Buying and maintaining a cell phone would cost several hundred dollars. > [@Equipoise](#): > > I understand, but it really doesn’t have to cost as much as maybe you think it does. > > I bought an unlocked Android G4 Play last year at Best Buy for $180something, but you can buy an unlocked Android phone online for much cheaper. > > I use [MintSim](https://www.mintsim.com/) and pay $99.00 every 3 months for unlimited phone and text, and 5gb data, but there are lots of different plans. Maybe I’m missing something. I said buying and maintaining a smart phone would cost several hundred dollars. You implied I didn’t know the real costs. And then explained how I could buy and maintain a smart phone for $576. How is that different from several hundred dollars? > [@gaffa](#): > > If your income is really that low, you might qualify for “Lifeline Service” (often called an “ObamaPhone” even though the program started under George W. Bush.) No, I’m not poor. I could afford a smart phone if I chose to. But I’m not wealthy either. I don’t have enough money to buy everything. If I did I wouldn’t be worrying about the cost of movie tickets. I make choices about what I want to spend my money on. And $576 is more than I want to spend on a smart phone, which I wouldn’t use all that much. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/70 "2017-08-21T03:55:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Maybe I’m missing something. I said buying and maintaining a smart phone would cost several hundred dollars. > > You implied I didn’t know the real costs. And then explained how I could buy and maintain a smart phone for $576. How is that different from several hundred dollars? You didn’t quote my first post on that, which was: \*Currently I’m using a Motorola Moto G4. It’s more than I wanted, but my previous one broke, and Best Buy didn’t stock the cheaper ones in-store. If you buy on-line, you can get the Moto E4 for $129. Then you can put a SIM card from all these different carriers that resell service from the big four. I’m currently using a company called MintSim that resells T-Mobile. Like every other business, they have their lowest price for new customers, but you can buy a year’s worth of service - unlimited talk and text and 2 gigabytes of data a month - for $180, working out at a cost of $15 a month.\* $129+$180 for a year’s worth of service comes out at $309. 2 gigs of data, as opposed to the 5 gigs **Equipoise** mentioned. Even just considered as a tool to allow you to use MoviePass, it can save you money in the end. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/71 "2017-08-22T00:05:04Z")
Had some weird problems during signup. Signup from my phone wouldn’t work right - paypal weirdly rejected my password (even thouhg I double checked it was correct on my PC), after entering my CC info into the app the “finish” button was grayed out… I figured out that using an incognito tab would let me sign up on PC. Very strange all around. So anyway, I sign up on PC, log in on my phone, it defaults to the theaters tab on the app. There are no theaters. On the bottom it says “Want to see more theaters? Request movie pass card” Okay, so basically it’s going to stay empty until I get the card and activate it. But just because it was a weird clusterfuck to sign up I want to make sure - they’re sending me the card now just from signing up, right? I don’t have to use that link within the app to specifically request a card. And not seeing movie theaters in the app until I get my card is normal? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/72 "2017-08-22T01:27:26Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Had some weird problems during signup. Signup from my phone wouldn’t work right - paypal weirdly rejected my password (even thouhg I double checked it was correct on my PC), after entering my CC info into the app the “finish” button was grayed out… I figured out that using an incognito tab would let me sign up on PC. Very strange all around. > > So anyway, I sign up on PC, log in on my phone, it defaults to the theaters tab on the app. There are no theaters. On the bottom it says “Want to see more theaters? Request movie pass card” > > Okay, so basically it’s going to stay empty until I get the card and activate it. But just because it was a weird clusterfuck to sign up I want to make sure - they’re sending me the card now just from signing up, right? I don’t have to use that link within the app to specifically request a card. > > And not seeing movie theaters in the app until I get my card is normal? The card is tied to a particular zip code. Probably a leftover from when they had different prices depending on your location. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/73 "2017-08-23T00:41:11Z")
It’s not clear if the Moviepass app actually requires a cellular plan to work. You can buy an old simple Android phone for really cheap, and it’ll run apps and work on wifi, so there might be a very low-budget way to make this work. I would jump on this if I had time to go to the movies any more. What a deal! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/74 "2017-08-23T03:13:29Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > It’s not clear if the Moviepass app actually requires a cellular plan to work. You can buy an old simple Android phone for really cheap, and it’ll run apps and work on wifi, so there might be a very low-budget way to make this work. > > I would jump on this if I had time to go to the movies any more. What a deal! If I’m understanding correctly how this works, you’d need to have public wifi available at or near the theater for that to work. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/75 "2017-08-23T03:56:00Z")
There was a game changer today. I mentioned how my favorite discount movie theater closed last February. Well, they’ve just re-opened this week. So I now have an option for watching movies cheaply that doesn’t involve Movie Pass. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/76 "2017-08-23T15:53:44Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > If I’m understanding correctly how this works, you’d need to have public wifi available at or near the theater for that to work. That’s true, but that still might work for lots of theaters. Lots of theaters are surrounded by other commercial interests like coffee shops that have public wifi. If you are seriously budget-constrained on paying for a smartphone plan, it really only matters if the one or two theaters you go to regularly will work. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/77 "2017-08-23T16:31:44Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’m not into amusement parks. I haven’t been to one in a decade or two. If someone offered a similar discount to get me into every amusement park in the US every day for less than the cost of a single day’s admission, it wouldn’t appeal to me. > > And, more importantly, I don’t think I’d bother to go onto a thread about this theoretical ParkPass and both to say so. You don’t think people should go onto a thread titled \*\*\*Looking for opinions and information on Movie Pass \*\*\* and give their opinions on Movie Pass? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/78 "2017-08-23T18:39:09Z")
Smart phones cost like $30 if you get a cheap one. These are for prepay, so you’d either need to buy minutes or use Lifeline (Obama phone provider) and a Tracphone phone–if you’re poor enough to qualify for them. I’m not saying you can afford that, **Little Nemo**. I’m just saying that hundreds of dollars is way too much for what they cost now. My dad’s phone was a bit spiffier for $40, plus $50 a month for his plan, which he can cancel at any time. And, since I gave my mom my Obama phone (since I don’t use it), I’m actually considering getting her a cheap smart phone instead, just so she can make the text bigger and text more easily. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/79 "2017-09-10T07:21:37Z")
Alright, so my card didn’t come until this week - apparently their demand was crazy - but I ended up using it the other day. Super simple, just enter the last digits of the card on the app and you’re good to you. You go to the theater, reserve the screen time, then just pay for the ticket normally. You don’t do the receive reserved ticket option - they’re not reserving the ticket for you through the app, they’re just putting the $11 on the debit card so you can pay for the ticket normally. Super easy. Although I wish you could buy tickets online - we go to a theater that tends to fill up on popular movies and has reserved seating - so it’s way easier to reserve seats online rather than having to show up physically at the theater several hours before the movie to buy tickets at their kiosks then come back later. But the app requires you to actually be at the theater to do this. I guess the normal evening ticket price for nicest theater near me is $11.75 - so they’ve already lost $1.75 on me this month and will lose more. I kinda feel bad if I see too many movies, but I mean, I guess the investors wanted this and I’m seeing movies on venture capital’s dime. If the movie theaters hold out on them they’re going to run out of capital at some point so enjoy it while it lasts. 2 questions about the app: every time I open the app it makes me log in again. Is there some sort of stay logged in option, or is this happening to everyone else too? When they show two listings of a movie at the same theater, what does that mean? And I don’t mean imax or 3d vs regular, because they automatically gray out the imax/3d showings. For instance, IT might have a listing like this IT 7:40, 8:10, 10:10, 10:40 IT 6:45, 7:00, 7:15, 9:15, 10:00, 10:15 Clearly they’re not just showing one entry for each screen showing the movie, because there are overlapping showtimes in there. But when you click on any of the showtimes it doesn’t list them as being different in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/80 "2017-09-14T23:01:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m aware of the AMC complaints. (It was, in fact, a story about those complaints that made me aware of Movie Pass.) I’ll admit I don’t understand why AMC is unhappy. From what I’ve read, Movie Pass pays the movie theaters the full cost of the tickets. You’d think AMC and other theaters would be delighted to get more customers, collecting full ticket prices from everyone, and having more people to sell snacks to. > > I’m also wondering how Movie Pass can sustain this system. Is it like a gym membership, where they’re hoping people will buy the membership and then not get around to using it? Or is the current price a loss leader to get people to sign up and get into a habit of going to movies and then they’ll raise the membership fees back up to a higher rate? > > Finally, there’s the app issue. I’m behind the times and I don’t own a phone that does apps. So I don’t know if I can even use Movie Pass. I saw an article that claims when movie tickets are ‘free’ that people buy 120% more concession items. Also they are collecting people’s personal data to sell to advertisers. However I went to a movie for the first time a few nights ago with it, the cost of a single ticket was the same as the cost of my monthly subscription. I figure if I watch 2-3 movies a month, it’ll be worth it. But even that is hard to justify. I don’t know if 2-3 new releases a month are worth it to me. I have endless entertainment options at home. I’m still expecting the company to go bankrupt or jack up prices in a few months. I won’t use mine too much, but I’m still going to get more than $10/month out of it. Some people are going to see 10+ movies a month with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886.md?page=5)