MoviePass - will it die a premature death or is it here to stay

Moving on to disputing my Sinemia subscription with my CC provider. Feeling a little antsy about it because the box you get to describe the issue online is nowhere NEAR big enough to explain exactly how shady these guys are being, but we'll see what happens.

Tempted to re-sign up for the $120 for a year All-Access plan (3 movies a month but all the theaters and showtimes are back) but it seems like they're probably gonna be bankrupt again in a few months. Plus the fact that you can't pay by credit card but it has to be a direct bank transfer seems pretty sketchy...

Also from what I've read it includes explicit language that they might randomly change how many movies you're allowed to see. I'd *consider* a monthly plan since I've recently been able to extract 2 or 3 movies a month from their janky, wheezing system, but no way would I sign up for another full year upfront with these clowns.

it's also been pointed out that the bank transfer, as unsettling as that is by itself, means no threat of credit card chargebacks. you're really just handing them the cash and praying they give you something in any way resembling the service advertised for any length of time.

Bank transfer only? Lol, wow they really want to be a fake gym membership
Id at least wait a month or two and see if the "all showtimes are back" thing is for real. They still need a bunch of angel investors who hope it'll be the next Netflix to survive

My final total with MP: $100 spent, 71 films seen in the theater. A dollar and forty-one cents a ticket. Granted there were a lot of hassles along the way, and since this summer it was almost useless most of the time, but man I had some great viewing experiences through this dumb thing.

i haven't seen 71 films in the theatre this decade

Between MP, the crash-and-burn Sinemia ride, A-list, and the Film Forum membership I've kept up with the last couple years, this was an all-time banner year for me on that front, probably never to be topped unless I suddenly start making a lot more money. If nothing else MP really gave me the bug for seeing everything I could. Sigh.

This year was amazing thanks to Moviepass - really living that dream of seeing movies all the time in the theater

My final total with MP: $100 spent, 71 films seen in the theater. A dollar and forty-one cents a ticket.

$90 spent*, 80 films seen, plus 8 that I'd gone to see bcz they were on Moviepass but it was down for one reason or another - so more spent on those 8 than on the other 80. God, what a year. If there were any confidence that Sinemia's new physical cards will work, the 30 dollars /30 tickets a month deal would be worth trying.

*dropped out in September, when there'd been nothing I could get into worth seeing all month (I swiped into an indie and watched Mission Impossible in the last week).

speaking of which, I tried to use Sinemia tonight and the online card was rejected - canceled, tried again, rejected again - then the app wouldn't let me cancel again

at least customer service got back to me within a half hour, refunded my service fees and gave me a "permanent" online card to use next time (much better customer service than Moviepass ever managed) but i missed the showtime of the movie i was gonna see tonight

I feel less bad about not taking advantage of Moviepass while I had it then I do having not taken advantage of Filmstruck, which had the added advantage of being in my house.

Yup

https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/2/6/18212482/moviepass-mitch-lowe-khalid-itum-interview-2019

"The only reason anybody has issues [with us] is that, eventually, we failed,” says Lowe.

RIP Sinemia! Wow, that went even faster than expected. Glad I got my chargeback for the annual plan sorted months back, what a garbage fire of a company.

woof! that's a bummer but it was inevitable

... and they've filed for bankruptcy!

MoviePass, somehow, technically still in business

That’s all she wrote

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/moviepass-will-shut-down-for-good-on-sept-14.html

Turn in your (now useless) MoviePass card at our Concessions Stand and we’ll give you a FREE large popcorn https://t.co/Nk08w4Ke8p

— Music Box Theatre (@musicboxtheatre) September 13, 2019

death to all discounts via phone

Not so fast!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/moviepass-insider-makes-offer-for-subscription-service-11568718002

Theodore Farnsworth, chairman and chief executive of MoviePass’s majority shareholder Helios & Matheson Analytics Inc., is leading a group of investors on an offer to purchase the company’s assets, a spokesman for Mr. Farnsworth said.

On Sunday, Mr. Farnsworth stepped down as chief executive of Helios in connection with his consortium’s offer for the assets of the public data-analytics company.

The offer is for MoviePass, the company’s other brands including the movie-time-listing service Moviefone and a film-acquisition business called MoviePass Films, according to Mr. Farnsworth’s resignation letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. ...

MoviePass’s parent on Friday said it was exploring all its options, including a potential sale of all its assets, and said it “is unable to predict if or when MoviePass service will continue.”

Mr. Farnsworth’s proposal represents the latest twist in MoviePass’s tumultuous run, which culminated last week when the theater-subscription service said it was again being shut down because the company had failed to recapitalize the business.

Husk of MoviePass up for auction, bids starting at $250,000, sez Variety.

feel like we could make that back in T-shirts

trying to brainstorm whether there's going to be another "use app to temporarily unlock a credit card account for a limited transaction" industry in the near future so I could just sit on the patent and infrastructure code until.. profit

rip

lol https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/06/operators-moviepass-subscription-service-agree-settle-ftc

god MoviePass really did feel so "of the moment", even though it had been around a while before they lowered their fee to 9.95.

They’ve been told ‘don’t do any more fraud’ and rapped twice on the knuckles.

do they even exist anymore?

Someone has ownership of Gotti, somewhere...

So this is interesting
https://mubi.com/go/us

That is an interesting idea and possibly financially stable eventually. If I lived in the city I would definitely try it

once i can move my arm again and go out, i likely will. $260 a year for 51 pairs of movie tickets is a good set up.

Seems to come with a regular MUBI subscription, for now anyway.

They launched it in the uk years ago, it was initially part of the regular subscription but now you have to pay more for it (an extra £5 a month so still not bad). I’d def go for it if there were participating cinemas where I live, but the only one that has signed on here is a multiplex that never actually shows the selected films - I had the app on my phone for over a year & only had the chance to use it like twice

MoviePass is now promising a "2.0" relaunch, with details to come on a Zoom event from the theater at Lincoln Center, next Thursday. The website now has a vague statement about the virtues of subscription-based theatergoing. I've thought for a long time that an "indie theater coupon book" model might have small but viable legs, wonder if that's what this heralds.

Gonna be kind of hard to beat the ones now being offered by AMC, Regal, Alamo, etc.

Right, which is why I'm thinking it's indie-related.... like build a nationwide IndieCard program (in the pre-show reel: "We're proud to be part of the IndieCard discount program, helping keep independent cinema alive, nationwide" ). And it gives you, like, two bucks off at every indie theater, and some profitable number of theaters each take that deal because a) they make it up in popcorn and b) it's simpler/cheaper than operating their own membership program, c) being "visible" in an app like that could actually be great marketing. Catch road-tripping arthouse types, looking for a movie date in the cute town they AirBnBed in... I don't know how many theaters would actually be on board with that, either culturally or financially, but it seems sorta plausible in my hazy imagining of the biz.

the Mubi option is looking pretty good

I love MUBI GO, although I haven't used it recently for some reason.

He explains that with the new version of MoviePass, you can watch ads to earn credits that can go toward free movies. Your phone camera will track your eyeballs to make sure you're actually watching. "What it does is it basically creates a transaction between you and the brand." pic.twitter.com/Lip0CDXPLT

— Theo Wayt (@theo_wayt) February 10, 2022

oh no

surprise: we live in the worst possible version of reality

Lol fuckouttahere with that dystopian bullshit

Clockworkorange.gif

Lol there are a million apps that already do shit like that.

lol this is the dumbest thing yet somehow

Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale

Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus

— Alex Blechman (@AlexBlechman) November 8, 2021

MoviePass is back!

As.... something. They won't say what it will cost, or what it will actually do, or why anyone should trust them. But SIGN UP NOW to be on the waitlist for the beta version of... whatever it is!!! The FAQ page, hilariously, is concerned primarily with questions about the waitlist, a wonderful harbinger of great communication and customer service to come.

i'm not getting it lol