I just agreed to an updated privacy policy where I had to agree to let moviepass sell anonymized data, but they’ve made no secret that their ultimate goal is to get the theaters to share profit. The way they see it, the theaters are profiting from Moviepass because a person who sees more movies is spending more on concessions. Especially since a person seeing a “free” movie on their moviepass account is more likely to get a popcorn. So Moviepass drives more bodies to the concession stand and the theaters share the extra revenue.
MP even sent me an e-mail questionnaire asking about my concession-stand habits. I truthfully answered it had no effect whatsoever. We buy the same stuff as we always have.
I’m still confused by it too. I would think their data would be inadequate at the least. MoviePass only is allowed for buying a ticket for that day, while you’re at the theater, and for regular screenings and not 3D or IMax or anything like that. So for some of the movies people most want to see when they first come out, or they want to see in 3D or in whatever fancy screenings they might not use MoviePass, but they might use their MoviePass for movies they are somewhat interested in though not as much. So their data might show that fewer people are interested in The Incredibles 2 compared to what the actual interest is in it, but show that more people are interested in Tag that what the actual interest is.
Also, it’s definitely a certain segment of the population that has MoviePass. I go to see at least one movie a month, sometimes many more, I did before I had MoviePass and I’m sure I will continue to even if it goes under, I’m not sure how well the information about my moviegoing habits would help translate to making movies that would attract bigger non-MoviePass owning audiences.
I do occasionally see a suggested movie notification pop up on my phone from MoviePass but I usually swipe it away immediately. Maybe those do encourage people to go see things but I’m skeptical.
I’d read some somewhat conspiracy theory about MoviePass. The idea was you get a lot of people to buy MoviePass, and then they get used to paying $10 a month to go see unlimited movies at the theater. Then when they go under people won’t go back to paying at least $10 per movie to go to the theater, it will just seem too expensive now. But they might be willing to pay $10 a month for the new HomeMoviePass, a competitor to Netflix. I’m skeptical of that idea as well, I don’t know how well that would work, and it seems like a big gamble, but I don’t understand how MoviePass plans on making money so anything is possible I guess.
I’ve already got my money’s worth for a year of MoviePass from when I started last November so any more movies I see with it is gravy. I don’t expect it to last forever but I will enjoy it while I can.
I’m not sure that makes sense. Assuming Moviepass gets big enough to exert some leverage to get more favorable terms from theaters, the theaters have leverage, too. They are the ones with the product that the Moviepass members ultimately want. Moviepass could say to AMC “share your concession revenue with us or we’ll cut your theaters off from our service.” AMC says “go ahead.” Now Moviepass has to tell its members that they can see as many movies as they want for $10 a month, but not at AMC. That’s going to diminish the value of their service, and probably cost them customers.
Sure, I suppose that could be their plan, but they’re just trying to cut themselves in as a middleman in a business that has been doing just fine without one.
I just got a push notification on my phone from MoviePass saying “Put FAMILY first this Father’s Day: GOTTI is now playing!” So either the company distributing Gotti paid MoviePass to promote their movie, or the data they’ve gathered on my movie going habits and what movie I would be interested in is drastically incorrect. I’m guessing they were paid to promote it.
They bought a stake in the movie.
Taking the ticket photo is not as troublesome as we had feared it might prove. Their app does make it easy. A minor annoyance at worst. However, we’re wondering about getting the tickets mixed up. Sometimes they hand us the ticket/receipt pairing separately, sometimes just all at once. When the latter, we can’t be sure which ticket goes with which MP card, and they say they want a photo of the exact ticket used with the MP. No problems yet though.
AMC has responded with their own program called “A List.”
$19.95 a month gets you into three films a week. Once you join the program, you show them your ID and your name gets printed on your ticket. You can see two films in a day and you can see the same film multiple times, but there has to be 2 hours between any two films you see on the same day.
MP actually owns a good chunk of Gotti. (0% at RT. Initially supposed to open in December but was pulled at the last second due to Travolta’s #metoo issues.)
Some boxoffice sites are not happy about MP’s funny ticket sale accounting to boost the already weak opening weekend numbers for Gotti.
But if they’re buying people the tickets to go see Gotti, how do they make any money off of it? I think any studio could drive up the number of people who see their movies by mailing out pre-paid tickets for it.
To make any sense out if this, we have to assume they see Gotti as a loss leader. They’re not going to make any money off of the people who follow their suggestion and use their app to go see the movie. But they’re hoping those people will have a favorable opinion of the movie and encourage other people to go see Gotti or they’re hoping people will like the idea of being able to see Gotti for free and will sign up for MoviePass.
I dunno, the critical panning of Gotti seems to have Movie Pass in a slight panic: Gotti Is Undertaking the Most Insane Ad Campaign We’ve Ever Seen.
Apparently, the movie has a 0% from critics, but a rather suspicious 76% from viewers.
I am a 100% LOYAL AMC Stubs member and this is perfect for me. I’ve heard basically 90% “good things” about MoviePass, but I just never trusted a 3rd party to work and be long-lasting. I think this program, from a nationally well-known brand that people trust, will beat the pants off it.
I plan on signing up ASAP
Programs like this is the best we can hope for as a long term effect of moviepass. Moviepass itself won’t last another year, but it may inspire the industry to think about high volume discounted plans like this, which would be a great option for frequent moviegoers. I hope competitors follow suit.
No kidding. As of me writing this, the RT page for Gotti lists 7,100 user ratings for it (though it’s now down to 67%).
Is 7,100 an abnormally large number of user ratings? Well, look at some other current releases, and how many they’ve gotten:
Book Club: 1,252
Ocean’s 8: 4,901
Incredibles 2: 7,930
Adrift: 908
They want me to believe that nearly as many viewers have submitted reviews of Gotti (in limited release, with IMDB indicating a current U.S. box office take of $1.7 million) as have reviewed Incredibles 2 (at $206 million in the U.S.)? As noted on The Playlist, it seems rather fishy.
I did like the “FYI all these critics now have been labeled suppressive” review.
Upthread I described the Cinemark Movie Club, which is their response to MoviePass. It’s not as cheap, but it does let me pick my seat in advance, which I like.
Also have an AMC Stubs account.
My family almost always goes to the show together, four tickets at a time. I am assuming we’d need four separate A List accounts … as opposed to using one or two accounts to get discounted tickets for the kids or something like that.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, two different UK chains have had unlimited programs for £17.90 a month for many years - Cineworld Unlimited and Odeon Limitless. It’s obvious the model works.
Here’s AMC press release (I assume I can quote in full as it’s a press release)
Given that a single Dolby Cinema ticket is more than $20 at the AMC River East, it looks like a good deal.
Timed for traditional new movie openings, each and every “week” starting from Friday through the following Thursday, AMC Stubs A-List members can see up to three movies at any U.S. AMC location through their A-List membership, however there is no carryover from week to week, if fewer than 3 movies are seen. They can even see all three movies on the same day, with a two-hour buffer in between each showtime. And they can see individual movies they have previously seen. Guests can get their ticket online, and in advance, allowing them to reserve that opening night seat for the summer’s hottest blockbuster. Advance reservations can be held for a maximum of 3 movies at any one time in the current or for future weeks.
For sure this is the case. Fortunately for Mrs. Cups and I, it’s just the two of us.
I’m mostly psyched I get to keep my card for the special “members only” line. I get such smug satisfaction when I stroll right up in that line and skip all the chumps waiting.
Got an e-mail from moviepass
Okay, so IMAX/3d upgrade sounds good. See the movie for $3 or whatever on top of your moviepass. Great.
The first one - I didn’t even know how you can reserve passes in the first place. Doesn’t moviepass require you to be at the actual theater? I mean, sounds fine for a rare occasion use. Okay.
The middle one - surge pricing - what the hell is that? Why would moviepass care about prime show times? They’re paying the same price either way. It makes sense if a chain’s own unlimited pass restricted prime time - they wouldn’t want their free members crowding out opening night crowds - but why would moviepass care when people saw a show? They’re not getting discounts for off-peak. Is this just a way to charge people more during popular movie times with the flimsiest excuse for it?