MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
User avatar
retiredjg
Posts: 53989
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:56 am

Re: Anyone here use "MoviePass"??

Post by retiredjg »

Here's an earlier thread.

viewtopic.php?t=229010
User avatar
LadyGeek
Site Admin
Posts: 95466
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Philadelphia
Contact:

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ I merged fmhealth's thread into here.
Wiki To some, the glass is half full. To others, the glass is half empty. To an engineer, it's twice the size it needs to be.
SrGrumpy
Posts: 1477
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:21 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by SrGrumpy »

If you join now, you will be limited to 4 movies per month, according to Dr. of Credit.
travellight
Posts: 2892
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:52 pm
Location: San Diego

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by travellight »

SrGrumpy wrote: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:20 pm If you join now, you will be limited to 4 movies per month, according to Dr. of Credit.
Yikes, what a huge change! Are prior members grandfathered in to one per day?
364
Chicago60
Posts: 516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:40 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Chicago60 »

SrGrumpy wrote: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:20 pm If you join now, you will be limited to 4 movies per month, according to Dr. of Credit.
I believe I read: (1) this is temporary, for a few months, during its marketing agreement with iHeart Radio for 3 free months of that service, and will revert back to the old system of unlimited movies; and (2) current subscribers are grandfathered.
Mudpuppy
Posts: 7409
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:26 am
Location: Sunny California

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Mudpuppy »

Chicago60 wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:41 am
SrGrumpy wrote: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:20 pm If you join now, you will be limited to 4 movies per month, according to Dr. of Credit.
I believe I read: (1) this is temporary, for a few months, during its marketing agreement with iHeart Radio for 3 free months of that service, and will revert back to the old system of unlimited movies; and (2) current subscribers are grandfathered.
MoviePass has said is that the $9.95 monthly plan will return after the $29.95 three-month promotion with iHeartRadio, but it has not said how many movies that monthly plan would be limited to. See the Tweet that started this line of speculation: https://t.co/nLB8J2wsql. There is also supposedly a Facebook post with more details of what will come back after the promotion, but it's locked behind a Facebook login and no one seems to have posted a screenshot. I'm not creating a Facebook account just to get this info.

Maybe the old plan will come back after the promotion, maybe it won't. It could just as easily be $9.95/month limited to one or two movies per week, instead of the old plan of one movie per day. MoviePass just had a very negative auditor's report about their ability to survive as a company given how much cash they are bleeding. They could be changing their business model in response to this report. Here's an article on the auditor's report: http://www.businessinsider.com/moviepas ... 0-k-2018-4

Also, many users are reporting a requirement to take a picture of your ticket stub once at the movie theater. This is likely a change to prevent some of the abuses that have been used against the service, but it's important that legitimate users keep their ticket stubs instead of tossing them in the trash can.
Chicago60
Posts: 516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:40 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Chicago60 »

Mudpuppy wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:27 am
Chicago60 wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:41 am
SrGrumpy wrote: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:20 pm If you join now, you will be limited to 4 movies per month, according to Dr. of Credit.
I believe I read: (1) this is temporary, for a few months, during its marketing agreement with iHeart Radio for 3 free months of that service, and will revert back to the old system of unlimited movies; and (2) current subscribers are grandfathered.
MoviePass has said is that the $9.95 monthly plan will return after the $29.95 three-month promotion with iHeartRadio, but it has not said how many movies that monthly plan would be limited to. See the Tweet that started this line of speculation: https://t.co/nLB8J2wsql. There is also supposedly a Facebook post with more details of what will come back after the promotion, but it's locked behind a Facebook login and no one seems to have posted a screenshot. I'm not creating a Facebook account just to get this info.

Maybe the old plan will come back after the promotion, maybe it won't. It could just as easily be $9.95/month limited to one or two movies per week, instead of the old plan of one movie per day. MoviePass just had a very negative auditor's report about their ability to survive as a company given how much cash they are bleeding. They could be changing their business model in response to this report. Here's an article on the auditor's report: http://www.businessinsider.com/moviepas ... 0-k-2018-4

Also, many users are reporting a requirement to take a picture of your ticket stub once at the movie theater. This is likely a change to prevent some of the abuses that have been used against the service, but it's important that legitimate users keep their ticket stubs instead of tossing them in the trash can.
Excellent detailed (more detailed than what I had read) clarification, and very much appreciated.
Mudpuppy
Posts: 7409
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:26 am
Location: Sunny California

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Mudpuppy »

FYI, the CEO of MoviePass was noncommittal when asked if the 1 movie per day plan would come back after the iHeartRadio promotion according to Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... ne-1106014. Perhaps they're reading too much into the CEO's brief response, but perhaps not.
Doroghazi
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:56 am
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Doroghazi »

My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
heyeaglefn
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2018 3:20 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by heyeaglefn »

New Update now had the 1 viewing of a movie total, probably in preparation for the Avengers movie. No more seeing the same movie more than once.
User avatar
munemaker
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:14 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by munemaker »

Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
Is your son over 18? Wondering how some on here are getting around the age restriction.

You are wrong in the theaters. As a group, they do not like Moviepass.
User avatar
Que1999
Posts: 274
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 10:27 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Que1999 »

27 movies since November! Average cost of tickets where I live are around $12-$15. I would say a quarter to half the movies are family movies, other half are myself and wife quality time, when one of the parents doesn't mind watching the grandkids or staying over the night. We absolutely love MoviePass, and I hope the business model endures... It's a win-win in my opinion for the consumers and theaters. Especially smaller independent theaters!
User avatar
Que1999
Posts: 274
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 10:27 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Que1999 »

munemaker wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:20 pm
Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
Is your son over 18? Wondering how some on here are getting around the age restriction.

You are wrong in the theaters. As a group, they do not like Moviepass.
It depends on the theaters from what I've seen. The big chains don't like them, because it could potentially drive business from their over-priced moviegoing experiences to the smaller, cheaper independent theaters.... Which in turn could force them to lower their pricing to be able to compete. Cheaper, more reasonable prices on tickets and concessions. The big boys don't like that, but from some of the employees at the indie theaters I've been to... They love it! Business is booming, concession sales are through the roof, attendance is double or more than it used to be. MoviePass is great for the consumer, indie theater scene... But not so much for the big movie chains.
User avatar
Helo80
Posts: 2125
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: Unsophisticated Investor

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Helo80 »

Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.

The big chains are pushing back on MP for fear of the devaluation of the experience and product. With current movie prices the way they are, it's a fair comment that many see MP as an unsustainable business model with current pricing. So, when MP fails... suddenly a bunch of consumers getting many movies a month for $10 are stuck paying full price... and suddenly they do not want to do that anymore. Eventually, things will sort themselves out, but that's the big fear and why you see pushback from the big chains.

AMC even went as far to see if there was someway they could ban MP debit cards from their POS terminals. Before the $10/month pricing --- AMC had a working relationship with MP at some select theaters for e-ticketing reservations.
Thank God for Wall Street Bets.
Doroghazi
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:56 am
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Doroghazi »

Son in his 30s. Goes to movies 2-4x per month. Lives in Cleveland area and says, so far, every theater he has gone to takes MoviePass, so he is quite happy.
j0nnyg1984
Posts: 752
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 9:55 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by j0nnyg1984 »

Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
That is no joke. we went to the movies Friday for the first time in years - I had free passes - and paid $11.xx for two bottles of water. Absolutely ridiculous.
mrc
Posts: 1908
Joined: Sun Jan 10, 2016 5:39 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by mrc »

Enjoy MoviePass while it lasts ...

https://wapo.st/2HDNkgO?tid=ss_mail&utm ... 35c70dd82a
Many theater owners shake their heads at the model, wondering about the long-term health of a company that needs to attract people passionate enough about movies to buy a monthly subscription but too lazy to take much advantage of it.

“I don’t see how they can sustain themselves,” said Hester.

A review of a prospectus by the website Business Insider and a University of Michigan professor found that the company is losing $20 million a month. Helios and Matheson’s stock has dropped from a high of nearly $33 in October to $2.50 at the end of last week.
By the time you know enough to choose a good financial adviser, you don't need one. | bogleheads.org is my advisor: The ER is 0.0% and the advice always solid.
User avatar
boomer
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 1:06 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by boomer »

No theatres in my area. :( Town is around 50,000. Too small I guess.
csm
Posts: 610
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:52 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by csm »

j0nnyg1984 wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 2:18 pm
Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
That is no joke. we went to the movies Friday for the first time in years - I had free passes - and paid $11.xx for two bottles of water. Absolutely ridiculous.
I also was shocked by the concession prices, having not been to the cinema for a while. We went with our MoviePasses last month and I thought we might get popcorn as a splurge since our movie tickets were such a bargain. The smallest popcorn was nearly $8! That's more expensive than Disney World (which I think charges an outrageous amount for popcorn). We skipped it.
SrGrumpy
Posts: 1477
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 3:21 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by SrGrumpy »

mrc wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:56 am Enjoy MoviePass while it lasts ...

https://wapo.st/2HDNkgO?tid=ss_mail&utm ... 35c70dd82a
“I don’t see how they can sustain themselves,” said Hester.
People always say that about disrupters. Remember the Amazon naysayers - the bond analyst who was convinced it would go bankrupt? Who knows what will happen to Moviepass? The only thing you can do is enjoy it.

And yes, it's well established that movie theaters are essentially food vendors. The studios take at least half the ticket sales, so popcorn et al is where the action is. The person who paid $11+ for water should turn in his BH credentials.
JStephens
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 2:48 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by JStephens »

SrGrumpy wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 4:35 pm
mrc wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:56 am Enjoy MoviePass while it lasts ...

https://wapo.st/2HDNkgO?tid=ss_mail&utm ... 35c70dd82a
“I don’t see how they can sustain themselves,” said Hester.
People always say that about disrupters. Remember the Amazon naysayers - the bond analyst who was convinced it would go bankrupt? Who knows what will happen to Moviepass? The only thing you can do is enjoy it.

And yes, it's well established that movie theaters are essentially food vendors. The studios take at least half the ticket sales, so popcorn et al is where the action is. The person who paid $11+ for water should turn in his BH credentials.
Amazon was reinvesting into themselves. With this it's a straight up cash burn.
rj49
Posts: 629
Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:22 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by rj49 »

csm wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 4:24 pm
j0nnyg1984 wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 2:18 pm
Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
That is no joke. we went to the movies Friday for the first time in years - I had free passes - and paid $11.xx for two bottles of water. Absolutely ridiculous.
I also was shocked by the concession prices, having not been to the cinema for a while. We went with our MoviePasses last month and I thought we might get popcorn as a splurge since our movie tickets were such a bargain. The smallest popcorn was nearly $8! That's more expensive than Disney World (which I think charges an outrageous amount for popcorn). We skipped it.
Moviepass can also get you free popcorn...if you go to Regal theatres and join their loyalty program, you get points per movie, which add bonuses as you see more, so you can get a free popcorn after every 5 or so movies, along with half-price popcorn on Tuesdays (even less if you buy their discounted gift cards during promotions).
csm
Posts: 610
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:52 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by csm »

rj49 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 1:05 am
Moviepass can also get you free popcorn...if you go to Regal theatres and join their loyalty program, you get points per movie, which add bonuses as you see more, so you can get a free popcorn after every 5 or so movies, along with half-price popcorn on Tuesdays (even less if you buy their discounted gift cards during promotions).
Good reminder. Yes, I had seen that when we last went to a Regal theatre but haven't made the effort to sign up. With all the airline and hotel points I can hardly keep track of, I thought tracking one for a free small popcorn every few months was getting ridiculous, even for me. :D I did not know about half-price popcorn on Tuesdays but would do that, thanks.

And speaking of Tuesdays, the last time we went to Cinemark it was a Tuesday and my husband and I each checked in with our respective MoviePass apps, then approached the cashier. When she gave us the tickets, she only had us swipe one of our cards and when I asked about swiping the second one, she said it wasn't necessary because of the 2 for 1 Tuesday tickets. She told us that on Tuesdays we could essentially each bring a guest and get four of us in for our two MoviePass accounts. After thinking about it though, I would think this is a violation of MoviePass terms somewhere, so would never do it myself, but thought it was interesting for the theatre cashier to tell us about it.
User avatar
F150HD
Posts: 3926
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:49 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by F150HD »

Shares of MoviePass' parent company, Helios & Matheson Analytics (HMNY), crashed more than 30% Tuesday after it released updated financials that paint a dire picture for the subscription cinema service.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ow ... 909.html

-
Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.
protagonist
Posts: 9242
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:47 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by protagonist »

csm wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 4:24 pm
j0nnyg1984 wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 2:18 pm
Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
That is no joke. we went to the movies Friday for the first time in years - I had free passes - and paid $11.xx for two bottles of water. Absolutely ridiculous.
I also was shocked by the concession prices, having not been to the cinema for a while. We went with our MoviePasses last month and I thought we might get popcorn as a splurge since our movie tickets were such a bargain. The smallest popcorn was nearly $8! That's more expensive than Disney World (which I think charges an outrageous amount for popcorn). We skipped it.
Fortunately up north the best time to go to movies are on cold winter nights, when we have lots of big pockets in our clothes.
Chicago60
Posts: 516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:40 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Chicago60 »

F150HD wrote: Tue May 08, 2018 9:54 pm Shares of MoviePass' parent company, Helios & Matheson Analytics (HMNY), crashed more than 30% Tuesday after it released updated financials that paint a dire picture for the subscription cinema service.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ow ... 909.html

-
Thanks for posting this troubling news. In 6 months of using MoviePass, we have attended 21 movies. We would have seen all of them even if we had not purchased MoviePass. I fear it will not last through our anniversary date in November.
User avatar
Nate79
Posts: 9354
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:24 pm
Location: Delaware

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Nate79 »

Another article on the money troubles of MoviePass:
http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/10/media/m ... index.html

They only have about 2 months worth of cash remaining at their burn rate though they claim to have access to significant capital markets.

Also,
Farnsworth, meanwhile, said MoviePass has found ways to cut its expenses. His statement mentioned that the service's "burn rate" has been slashed by 35-40% in the last few weeks because of new "abuse prevention measures." The company announced last month that it would bar subscribers from seeing the same movie more than once.
I wonder if they only way they are going to stay in business is to severely cut the benefits to where they can actually be profitable? Sounds like the basic business model of selling subscriber data is a fail as it is not sufficient at this point to make them at all profitable.
User avatar
munemaker
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:14 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by munemaker »

Chicago60 wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 9:08 am ... I fear it will not last through our anniversary date in November.
I am going to ride this horse 'till it drops.
Chicago60
Posts: 516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:40 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Chicago60 »

munemaker wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 1:23 pm
Chicago60 wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 9:08 am ... I fear it will not last through our anniversary date in November.
I am going to ride this horse 'till it drops.
So will we---kind of. We generally see 40-50 movies a year in the theater, and frankly we have not watched any more simply because we have MoviePass. I wondered if our viewing pattern might change given the model, but it really has not. If a movie generally gets good reviews, we will likely see it. We have not been any more likely to go to the theater simply because our viewing ability is unlimited.
jminv
Posts: 1082
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:58 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by jminv »

Nate79 wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 2:53 pm Another article on the money troubles of MoviePass:
http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/10/media/m ... index.html

They only have about 2 months worth of cash remaining at their burn rate though they claim to have access to significant capital markets.

Also,
Farnsworth, meanwhile, said MoviePass has found ways to cut its expenses. His statement mentioned that the service's "burn rate" has been slashed by 35-40% in the last few weeks because of new "abuse prevention measures." The company announced last month that it would bar subscribers from seeing the same movie more than once.
I wonder if they only way they are going to stay in business is to severely cut the benefits to where they can actually be profitable? Sounds like the basic business model of selling subscriber data is a fail as it is not sufficient at this point to make them at all profitable.
The only way for them to be profitable is to enter a revenue sharing agreement with all theaters on their platform. This is their plan (although they would prefer to take all of the revenue and leave only concession sales for the theater long run) and is also the reason for the low price which is to attract the greatest number of theater goers as possible. Once they have enough theater goers, particularly the majority of the high frequency goers who are the most profitable to theaters, they will be able to force the issue by threatening to drop theater chains from the platform.

I read the going concern letter from their auditors and also the CEO's statement about access to continued funding. I would be worried about it failing before being able to force the theaters hands. Also, the studios are a problem for Moviepass in that the studios don't want a single dominant buyer of films. Theaters are the most profitable venue for studios and if moviepass became the platform for theater goers, it would stand to reason that moviepass would take more for themselves and the studios would get less. This could lead the studios to back the theaters in resisting moviepass until they run out of cash to continue.

Incidentally, I bought my mother a pass last year and she is continuing to enjoy it. I think it is bringing people into theaters that didn't go before and bringing those who did go occassionally, more frequently.
randomguy
Posts: 11285
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:00 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by randomguy »

jminv wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 3:19 pm
The only way for them to be profitable is to enter a revenue sharing agreement with all theaters on their platform. This is their plan (although they would prefer to take all of the revenue and leave only concession sales for the theater long run) and is also the reason for the low price which is to attract the greatest number of theater goers as possible. Once they have enough theater goers, particularly the majority of the high frequency goers who are the most profitable to theaters, they will be able to force the issue by threatening to drop theater chains from the platform.

I read the going concern letter from their auditors and also the CEO's statement about access to continued funding. I would be worried about it failing before being able to force the theaters hands. Also, the studios are a problem for Moviepass in that the studios don't want a single dominant buyer of films. Theaters are the most profitable venue for studios and if moviepass became the platform for theater goers, it would stand to reason that moviepass would take more for themselves and the studios would get less. This could lead the studios to back the theaters in resisting moviepass until they run out of cash to continue.

Incidentally, I bought my mother a pass last year and she is continuing to enjoy it. I think it is bringing people into theaters that didn't go before and bringing those who did go occassionally, more frequently.
They will TRY and force the theaters to change. The theaters have tons of counter options (i.e. would I pay 10 for an AMC pass or 10 bucks for a moive pass. It would be a close choice as I see 75% of my movies in 1 location) and movie pass is useless without a theater. It also isn't remotely clear that there is enough money in the system to cut in another player. For it to make any sense MoviePass has to be proving that they are driving significantly more volume versus just signing up people that would have gone anyway. I sure as heck don't like their odds given the history of companies trying this type of approach.:)

As a user of the service, it is a gamble about them lasting long enough to get your money's worth if they go bankrupt. Thats a pretty limited risk. But I will not be shocked to wake up one day and for them to say service has been cut off.
User avatar
Helo80
Posts: 2125
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: Unsophisticated Investor

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Helo80 »

So... HMNY (movie pass owner) recently filed a cash flow statement that did not look promising. If I'm not mistaken, the basics are that they are not carrying major debt (good). However, their cash on hand and expenses show that they have about a month or two of buying more tickets until that runs out. It effectively crashed HMNY's stock (from $4.21 a month ago to 65 cents today).

Now, MoviePass has a "refer a friend" program that allows subscribers to refer up to 3 friends for a free month of service.

I hope their CEO knows something positive that we do not.

PS - several months ago, he claimed in an interview to have an investor that would keep MP going to profitability.
Thank God for Wall Street Bets.
perl
Posts: 176
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2014 12:46 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by perl »

I tried moviepass, then got busy and wasn't using it. I cancelled using the app 5 times and never got a confirmation of cancellation. I emailed them to confirm and only received an automated email with instructions on how to cancel through the app. When I replied twice asking for confirmation of the cancellation there was no reply by email. They still charged my credit card and I had to dispute the charge.

Maybe if they go bankrupt they will stop charging me.
Topic Author
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by denovo »

Chicago60 wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 1:33 pm

So will we---kind of. We generally see 40-50 movies a year in the theater, and frankly we have not watched any more simply because we have MoviePass. I wondered if our viewing pattern might change given the model, but it really has not. If a movie generally gets good reviews, we will likely see it. We have not been any more likely to go to the theater simply because our viewing ability is unlimited.
I like to see a lot of movies, although I am not as much as a heavy-hitter as you, I probably see closer to 30 films a year in the theater. However, it's sometimes hard to figure out if you're going to like a movie based on the trailers or Rotten Tomatoes, director, genre, etc.

With MoviePass, the marginal cost of watching a movie is basically $0 so it does make me more willing to take risks on which movies I am going to watch.

I probably wouldn't have watched Gringo, Death Wish, or Annihilation if I had to pay the full ticket price, but I was willing to take the risk when the price was $0.

Of course I still won't watch movies I know I'll hate even when it's free like Rampage or anything with Amy Schumer.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
Topic Author
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by denovo »

Mudpuppy wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 1:24 am FYI, the CEO of MoviePass was noncommittal when asked if the 1 movie per day plan would come back after the iHeartRadio promotion according to Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... ne-1106014. Perhaps they're reading too much into the CEO's brief response, but perhaps not.
It's back. The only major change is that you can only see movies once. More and more people are being required to submit stubs, but that shouldn't bother anyone that isn't cheating.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
Topic Author
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by denovo »

munemaker wrote: Fri May 11, 2018 1:23 pm
Chicago60 wrote: Thu May 10, 2018 9:08 am ... I fear it will not last through our anniversary date in November.
I am going to ride this horse 'till it drops.
+1

Ya, at the end of the day, it's 10 dollars a month and I've gotten more than my money's worth. Is it possible that 5 days after one billing date the company will go bankrupt, sure but oh well. It's heaven while it lasts.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
Rotarman
Posts: 158
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:14 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Rotarman »

Helo80 wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:39 am
Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.

The big chains are pushing back on MP for fear of the devaluation of the experience and product. With current movie prices the way they are, it's a fair comment that many see MP as an unsustainable business model with current pricing. So, when MP fails... suddenly a bunch of consumers getting many movies a month for $10 are stuck paying full price... and suddenly they do not want to do that anymore. Eventually, things will sort themselves out, but that's the big fear and why you see pushback from the big chains.

AMC even went as far to see if there was someway they could ban MP debit cards from their POS terminals. Before the $10/month pricing --- AMC had a working relationship with MP at some select theaters for e-ticketing reservations.
We have MP and almost never go to AMC because so few offer e-ticket now. We had technical issues once trying to get tickets at the theater via MP so now we really prefer e-tickets. All the chain theaters are the same to me, e-ticket is the only thing besides showtimes to differentiate them.
wrongfunds
Posts: 3187
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:55 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by wrongfunds »

All of these scheme aka "eat as much as you can unlimited buffet" rely on the principle that at least half of the people will not be pig or are scheming to "get their moneys worth". Generally that is the case, whether it is local Chinese place or streaming service like Netflix.

Is there a reason why a concept like moviepass is different than the vanilla all you can consume services?
Bob-a-job
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 6:25 am
Location: NH

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Bob-a-job »

When I was in my 20's I would go to the movies once a week - now in my 60's maybe once in a while with young grandkids. Definitely not worth $10 a month for me. Are the that many new movies released worth turning up to the theater once a week for?
UTgrad
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:15 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by UTgrad »

Wish there was a family plan. If I can't sign my kids up then I'll still have to limit the amount of times I go in a month since ill be paying the $7 for kids.
madbrain
Posts: 6507
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by madbrain »

Rotarman wrote: Thu May 17, 2018 6:20 am
Helo80 wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:39 am
Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.

The big chains are pushing back on MP for fear of the devaluation of the experience and product. With current movie prices the way they are, it's a fair comment that many see MP as an unsustainable business model with current pricing. So, when MP fails... suddenly a bunch of consumers getting many movies a month for $10 are stuck paying full price... and suddenly they do not want to do that anymore. Eventually, things will sort themselves out, but that's the big fear and why you see pushback from the big chains.

AMC even went as far to see if there was someway they could ban MP debit cards from their POS terminals. Before the $10/month pricing --- AMC had a working relationship with MP at some select theaters for e-ticketing reservations.
We have MP and almost never go to AMC because so few offer e-ticket now. We had technical issues once trying to get tickets at the theater via MP so now we really prefer e-tickets. All the chain theaters are the same to me, e-ticket is the only thing besides showtimes to differentiate them.
I signed up for MP last month. Today was the first time that I encountered a theater that took e-tickets. And it was a major fail.
App just said "failed to create reservation" when trying to book the e-ticket at the theater. It kept doing so even after I rebooted my phone. I was with a friend who was able to get his e-ticket on his Moviepass for the same movie at the same theater just fine. I tried the contact MoviePass support through the app. Nobody responded. The person at the theater couldn't help either. Even though they accept "e-tickets", they said they are independent of MoviePass. It has been 5 hours since, and still no reply from MoviePass. We both left the theater without seeing the movie. We only had one car and were 50 miles out of town. My friend couldn't cancel his e-ticket as MoviePass doesn't allow it. That means he will never be able to see the movie through MoviePass, since they don't allow you to see the same movie "twice". As far as I can tell, the MoviePass support is just non-existent.

My husband and I have had multiple issues at other theaters too, the ones that only take the MoviePass Mastercard, not e-tickets. Some theaters and movies will show available on the app on my phone, but not his phone, or vice-versa. This prevents us from seeing the movie we want together.
Clearly there had to be a catch with the service. Maybe it's because I have seen 6 movies in a month and they are intentionally throttling me down. If so, the 1 movie a day is false advertising. As I said, I have yet to hear back from them about the issue.
Topic Author
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by denovo »

madbrain wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 6:18 am Not so sure it's really legit.

Some people have reported that MoviePass who used the service to see many movies a month had MoviePass raise their price even before the one year contract was up.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/122-great ... st54650246

I think it's a scam, and it's clearly operating at a loss, and won't last.
I know this is an old post, but just wanted to point out, it's been 9 months and no one has had their rate for seeing too many movies. I am on a couple discussion boards related to MoviePass and no one has reported a rate increase.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
Topic Author
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by denovo »

madbrain wrote: Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:58 pm
My husband and I have had multiple issues at other theaters too, the ones that only take the MoviePass Mastercard, not e-tickets. Some theaters and movies will show available on the app on my phone, but not his phone, or vice-versa. This prevents us from seeing the movie we want together.
Clearly there had to be a catch with the service. Maybe it's because I have seen 6 movies in a month and they are intentionally throttling me down. If so, the 1 movie a day is false advertising. As I said, I have yet to hear back from them about the issue.
When you open up the MoviePass app and select a theater there is a unlisted movie time/theater option you can use to check in to a movie. I have used that one time when the app had the movie but the showing was incorrect (off by 30 minutes). I would just keep the receipt/stub for a while if you are randomly checked. Are you part of the beta that has to take a picture of your movie stub after you check in?
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
anonenigma
Posts: 1133
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2011 11:58 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by anonenigma »

I've had it for just over five months and seen 47 films. They didn't consider retired cineastes in film-rich cities.
madbrain
Posts: 6507
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by madbrain »

denovo wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:41 am When you open up the MoviePass app and select a theater there is a unlisted movie time/theater option you can use to check in to a movie. I have used that one time when the app had the movie but the showing was incorrect (off by 30 minutes). I would just keep the receipt/stub for a while if you are randomly checked. Are you part of the beta that has to take a picture of your movie stub after you check in?
Yes, I'm part of that . I didn't realize that was a beta. Explains why my friend never had to do this and didn't know what I was talking about when I asked him today. Guess their beta screwed me big time. E-ticket not working.
Maybe my husband is not on the beta also.

Anyway, at this theater in Santa Cruz earlier today, the Nickelodeon theater, it was e-ticket only. There was no option to "check in". The show for RBG at 4:40pm was listed and available. When I selected it, I just got "Failed to create reservation" error.
While my friend got a QR code, which was scanned at the box office, and he then got a paper ticket . While I got nothing. No reply to chat on the app. Just filed a case on the web site too. Could not find a number to call while we were at the theater. The employee at the box office said she could not accept the MoviePass MasterCard, only e-ticket.
madbrain
Posts: 6507
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by madbrain »

denovo wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:33 am I know this is an old post, but just wanted to point out, it's been 9 months and no one has had their rate for seeing too many movies. I am on a couple discussion boards related to MoviePass and no one has reported a rate increase.
Good to know ! However, not being able to see the movie today with a friend was a pretty big issue, and their support is non-existent.
Topic Author
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by denovo »

madbrain wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:38 am
denovo wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:41 am When you open up the MoviePass app and select a theater there is a unlisted movie time/theater option you can use to check in to a movie. I have used that one time when the app had the movie but the showing was incorrect (off by 30 minutes). I would just keep the receipt/stub for a while if you are randomly checked. Are you part of the beta that has to take a picture of your movie stub after you check in?
Yes, I'm part of that . I didn't realize that was a beta. Explains why my friend never had to do this and didn't know what I was talking about when I asked him today. Guess their beta screwed me big time. E-ticket not working.
Maybe my husband is not on the beta also.

Anyway, at this theater in Santa Cruz earlier today, the Nickelodeon theater, it was e-ticket only. There was no option to "check in". The show for RBG at 4:40pm was listed and available. When I selected it, I just got "Failed to create reservation" error.
While my friend got a QR code, which was scanned at the box office, and he then got a paper ticket . While I got nothing. No reply to chat on the app. Just filed a case on the web site too. Could not find a number to call while we were at the theater. The employee at the box office said she could not accept the MoviePass MasterCard, only e-ticket.

I only used an e-ticket theater once like several months ago, so I am not familiar with all the peculiarities/bugs. I just mentioned the unlisted movie/wrong showing time for the other scenario you mentioned you tried to check in with a credit card and the showings weren't matching. Reinstalling the app sometimes fix bugs. Hopefully you and your SO both are keeping the app updated which could explain some discrepancies.

The way stub verification works they use Amazon Mechanical Turk and OCR to match the stubs to check-in times so don't check in to a 6 40 showing with the moviepass app says 7:10 because your transaction will be flagged when the uploaded stub doesn't match what's on the app. Use the unlisted showing option.

Here is the moviepass support number 866-646-2892. It's more reliable than their in-app support but it may take a while to get an hooman.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
madbrain
Posts: 6507
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by madbrain »

denovo wrote: Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:34 am I only used an e-ticket theater once like several months ago, so I am not familiar with all the peculiarities/bugs. I just mentioned the unlisted movie/wrong showing time for the other scenario you mentioned you tried to check in with a credit card and the showings weren't matching. Reinstalling the app sometimes fix bugs. Hopefully you and your SO both are keeping the app updated which could explain some discrepancies.
Our phones are set to update apps. But if I'm in the beta and he isn't, that would explain the very different user experiences. And that is massively problematic.
The way stub verification works they use Amazon Mechanical Turk and OCR to match the stubs to check-in times so don't check in to a 6 40 showing with the moviepass app says 7:10 because your transaction will be flagged when the uploaded stub doesn't match what's on the app. Use the unlisted showing option.
About 3 movies ago, I selected the right showtime in the app, and the clerk gave me a ticket for 3 hours from now, even though I clearly told her the time I wanted. I didn't notice the mistake and just scanned it in the app. And then once I went into the theater, the employee stopped me and told me the show was not for 3 more hours. I had to get a replacement from the box office. But there was no opportunity for me to rescan the corrected ticket in moviepass. Maybe I did get flagged ? But if so, I should have been notified in some way, not gotten "failed to create reservation" error several days later with no explanation, and no support. I think the service leaves a lot to be desired. Much worse than buying prepaid Cinemark & AMC tickets from Costco. Lower price, sure, but very aggravating.
Here is the moviepass support number 866-646-2892. It's more reliable than their in-app support but it may take a while to get an hooman.
Would have been good to have it yesterday. It was nowhere to be found in the app. I don't see it on their web site either. How did you find it ? And what are their hours ? The phone number is not listed at https://moviepass.com/contact/ .
Eric76
Posts: 224
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:02 am

Re: MoviePass-Too good to be true, but it's legit.

Post by Eric76 »

Doroghazi wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:00 am My son has a MoviePass and loves it. It's also an easy decision for the theaters. It's like a casino comping a room. It's already built, so any further use is pure profit. And they make the real money on the concessions.
This isn't an accurate analogy because the theaters aren't "comping" anything.
Post Reply