# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/141 "2018-05-12T04:25:44Z")
They’ve started now requiring some accounts to take a photo of the ticket and then upload it. They require it for my account but not the wife’s. I took a photo but could not upload it. There was a message saying there were some technical problems, so just hold onto the ticket for now. The app stopped working on the wife’s phone, so we logged into her account on my phone to be met with a warning that if the wife was changing devices, she would be required to use only this new device alone and no other for the next 30 days. That’s okay with us since we always see movies together and never separately. But they sure are coming up with all these niggling little rules. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2018, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/142 "2018-05-12T04:54:29Z")
The picture thing is a minor pain in the ass, but the rules are to stop abuse. Ultimately it’s on the consumer for not being happy enough to take this (too good) deal, and trying to exploit it to the max. The one account/one device thing prevents people from sharing their credentials with friends who can then see movies on their subscription. The ticket thing is to ensure that people are actually buying a ticket to the showing they claim instead of trying to get around the one viewing rule. I don’t think they’d saddle people with those restrictions if there wasn’t a significant amount of abuse going on, so that’s on the consumer. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/143 "2018-05-12T05:04:43Z")
Yes, I figured it was to stop abuse. I just hope they don’t cancel my account because their crappy system won’t accept the photo. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/144 "2018-05-13T00:29:40Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > _The requested URL was not found on this server._ You realize that post was from August of last year, right? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/145 "2018-05-13T20:20:27Z")
We saw the Avengers movie yesterday, and this time the app worked. It took a photo of the ticket and uploaded it okay. Yes, a minor hassle but still worth it. Right after we bought our tickets, the wife got an e-mail from Movie Pass saying now she’ll have to start uploading copies of her ticket too, starting next time. So now both of us have to. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/146 "2018-05-13T23:02:59Z")
In NYC (particularly in Manhattan), it’s really a godsend. Saw _RBG_ last night, at a theater where adult tickets are $18 each. My sister & I were very happy to only have to pay for 1 ticket–I used the Moviepass card for me, and a regular card to pay for her. I mean, cripes, that’s practically 2 months’ worth of the subscription fee right there, even if I don’t see another film this month. _RBG_ was awesome, btw. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/147 "2018-05-16T12:22:49Z")
I just found out that my Movie Pass won’t let me see Black Panther a second time. “You’ve already seen this movie,” it says. I don’t recall this restriction before. Is it new or did I just never notice it? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/148 "2018-05-16T13:17:35Z")
It’s fairly new, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/149 "2018-05-16T18:41:00Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I just found out that my Movie Pass won’t let me see Black Panther a second time. “You’ve already seen this movie,” it says. I don’t recall this restriction before. Is it new or did I just never notice it? It used to be standard, then when the price dropped to $9.95 in August that restriction was lifted. When Avengers opened, the one-time viewing of a film returned. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/150 "2018-05-16T19:39:30Z")
> [@choie](#): > > In NYC (particularly in Manhattan), it’s really a godsend. Saw _RBG_ last night, at a theater where adult tickets are $18 each. My sister & I were very happy to only have to pay for 1 ticket–I used the Moviepass card for me, and a regular card to pay for her. I mean, cripes, that’s practically 2 months’ worth of the subscription fee right there, even if I don’t see another film this month. NYC here as well. I estimate I’ve saved about $1500 (:eek:) over the past three years with MoviePass. I liked it better when it was a niche thing, though. Their attempt to appeal to the masses has resulted in starting a war with AMC and now MoviePass has blocked some of the flagship AMC locations from the app. ☹ Still worth it, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/151 "2018-05-16T23:06:02Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > NYC here as well. I estimate I’ve saved about $1500 (:eek:) over the past three years with MoviePass. > > I liked it better when it was a niche thing, though. Their attempt to appeal to the masses has resulted in starting a war with AMC and now MoviePass has blocked some of the flagship AMC locations from the app. ☹ > > Still worth it, tho. Those AMCs returned to the app a couple months ago. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/152 "2018-05-18T02:44:45Z")
Well, that’s good to know. Clearly I’m behind the times. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/153 "2018-06-15T21:00:48Z")
I saw this thread last month and remembered it today when I saw [this VICE article](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4355xn/ted-farnsworth-moviepass-interview-on-business-model): [The Guy Who Owns MoviePass Says Losing Money Was the Plan All Along](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4355xn/ted-farnsworth-moviepass-interview-on-business-model) TL;DR version: it’s all about collecting and selling data. > [@](#): > > But the people at the top of the company insist that everything is fine, that it’s not really about the $9.95 a month coming from each subscriber. Rather, it’s all about the number of subscribers, a.k.a. the vast compendium of data it’s getting with each signup. That allows MoviePass to sell studios info about trends, do predictive analysis on which movies will perform well, and push movies to its subscriber base. Once MoviePass acquires enough users, it says, the whole thing will turn the corner. > [@](#): > > Take yourself out of there—your name, your credit card information, we don’t need any of that stuff. What we want to know is what are your viewing habits, and then we can give you a better experience from MoviePass by recommending movies that you would like. What we don’t want to do is get into the position where if we’re pushing one of our movies, and you have no interest whatsoever in comedy, we don’t want to bug you about it. [The data] gives us viewer habits more than anything, which is extremely critical, we think, for advertising with the studios. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/154 "2018-06-15T22:12:11Z")
I read the Vice article and I still don’t understand how they’re going to make money. They state that they don’t sell the data that they gather and that they don’t plan to. So they won’t make money that way. They say that it will help them predict what movies will be successful and then use that data to make their own movies which are guaranteed to be successful. But if they’re paying for the tickets for those movies, how would they profit from them? Can they actually make a profit by getting a percentage of concession sales? I’m dubious. Is it like gym memberships? Are they counting on the vast majority not actually using their memberships? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/155 "2018-06-15T22:42:04Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I read the Vice article and I still don’t understand how they’re going to make money. > > They state that they don’t sell the data that they gather and that they don’t plan to. So they won’t make money that way. > > They say that it will help them predict what movies will be successful and then use that data to make their own movies which are guaranteed to be successful. But if they’re paying for the tickets for those movies, how would they profit from them? > > Can they actually make a profit by getting a percentage of concession sales? I’m dubious. > > Is it like gym memberships? Are they counting on the vast majority not actually using their memberships? Their plan, so far as I understand, is to build up viewership tastes and habits of such a large portion of theater patrons that they can then demand a share of the theater’s take of tickets and concessions. They have already tipped their hand on that. Their whole business plan is to make theaters pay them. The low low membership fee is a way to build up enough patrons in their arsenal. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/156 "2018-06-15T23:03:09Z")
The data gathering motivation is a lie, I think. Or at least a small part of their plan. Do you know what people actually pay for the components of big data like that? A tiny fraction of a cent per data point. They’re gaining a fraction of a cent per movie they pay for, but they’re paying $10+ for each data point. Would ford offer you a free car to see which one you picked because if they gave away 5 million cars that’s a lot of data about consumer demand? Would a grocery store let you shop there for free to see what products you buy together? Of course not - the cost of what they’re giving away dwarfs the value of the data they’re getting back. So, sure, I’m sure they’re trying to put that data to good use, but it’s only going to recoup a tiny portion of the money they’re losing. Their plan is to make moviepass big enough that a significant fraction of the moviegoing public, possibly even the majority by ticket sales, are moviepass customers. At that point they can threaten to pull moviepass access from any theaters that don’t play ball with them, and the theaters would be devastated given how much of the moviegoing public is doing so through moviepass. That threat lets them extort things like lower ticket prices, profit sharing on concessions, etc. Their plan is strictly to become so big that they can start making demands on the industry that would push them towards being profitable. They need to keep the venture capital money coming in and burning it in the hopes that they reach this tipping point. But movie theaters see what’s going on with this and don’t want it. This is why you see movie theaters fighting back against this plan even though they “should” be happy for the extra tickets being purchased at full price. They’re going to wait out MoviePass until it runs out of all that venture capital it’s burning until it dies. Enjoy it while you can. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/157 "2018-06-15T23:27:33Z")
Could it be a huge money laundry? ---
**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:** [June 16, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/158 "2018-06-16T01:00:38Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Could it be a huge money laundry? Or. If not that, could Movie Pass be a consortium of theater owners bilking some gullible deep pockets (the venture capitalists) into [del]investing[/del] buying millions in movie tickets? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/159 "2018-06-16T06:07:19Z")
I thinks it’s just money laundering for Isis drug operations. But hey, I’m cool with that as long as I get cheap movie tickets. ---
**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:** [June 16, 2018, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886/160 "2018-06-16T09:48:27Z")
All of those extra ticket sales are a payoff to the theaters for not showing the pee pee video. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-opinions-and-information-on-movie-pass/793886.md?page=9)