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

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

don't want no short short waitlist

Only about 10 hours left to get on the waitlist!

it's probably going to be the return of Columbia House-style sales.

You get to see 12 movies for the price of 1 (with an agreement to purchase tickets to 12 more movies in the next year).

Gotta say that Alamo's own version of this is way handier.

that's the thing, Regal's unlimited plan was $22 a month for unlimited movies AND I have a Regal in town that gets at least one art film a month mere miles from me, and it lets me reserve seats in advance.

most of our theatres are chains, and the one "art" movie theatre in the city basically watered down its selection years ago to indie films that you could ostensibly see at any theatre. so I have no neeeeeed for Moviepass.

unless they come with glasses that make the movie I'm watching better.

Orlando lost out on the Alamo Drafthouse we were supposed to get due to pandemic, still bitter about that

I signed up for the waitlist because I want to know what kind of clusterfuck they’re planning

I love Alamo's, but gotta admit the AMC version is mostly better because you get to reserve more than 7 days out in advance. Only point in favor of Alamo is that it's one per day, vs AMC's 3-per-week.

Still kind of hope for Moviepass working on the odd arthouse movie theater in my area and the other non-Alamo/AMC chains.

AMCs was decent too, I cut them out when I realized I was spending too much and forced myself to decide between Regal and AMC.

In my case I have a real advantage in that the Alamo is very much my local — as in five blocks away — theater. So honestly it’s my best value for money by default

nice basement too I hear

I'm still on it, just a little disappointed about the 7-day thing and also that they started charging me $1.89 "convenience fee" for each ticket, which is straight-up petty bullshit. And the various "movie party" screenings they programmed to avoid being eligible for Season Pass. etc. But my local Alamo is much closer than the AMCs, too. Since they reopened though, they've put on a lot less "trash" cinema and 35mm screenings that I used to love.

I remember the convenience fees from when I first jumped on Season Pass, they were really irritating then too!

CONGRATULATIONS, CHICAGO!
The Chicago area is one of the first markets in which we’ll be testing the new MoviePassBETA.
Here’s how the new MoviePassBETA will work:
In the coming weeks, we’ll send out exclusive access codes to create your account and sign up for your desired plan. To ensure we are able to meet demand, a limited number of access codes to the MoviePassBETA will be sent at a time. When you receive your code is based on your place in the waitlist.

Once you’ve received your access code, you’ll be able to sign up for one of these plans:

Basic - $10 (1 - 3 movies per month based on peak or off-peak times)

Standard - $20 (2 - 4 movies per month based on peak or off-peak times)

Pro - $30 (3 - 5 movies per month based on peak or off-peak times)

*Prices and credits per tier may vary per market. This is a beta launch so prices and levels are subject to change based on customer and market feedback.

Each tier provides you with credits that you’re able to use at any movie theater that accepts credit cards. The cost of each film varies based on demand and time of the week.

Start going to the movies the same day at supported e-ticketing theaters. Once you get your MoviePass card in the mail, activate it in the app, and go to any theater that accepts credit cards!

It’s our goal to use this beta period to work out the kinks and provide extraordinary service. That’s why we look forward to your feedback as you use the new MoviePass BETA

That… is underwhelming.

But my local Alamo is much closer than the AMCs, too. Since they reopened though, they've put on a lot less "trash" cinema and 35mm screenings that I used to love.

Cunning to have a system that provides worse value the more you spend.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-11-07/moviepass-was-not-a-good-business

The theory was that there were a lot of new marketplace businesses with strong network effects and winner-take-all dynamics, so it was crucial to get lots of customers quickly. If you could do that, you would lock in a leading position in the business, and your customers would come to rely on you. And then you could work out the unit economics — most obviously by raising prices, though you could think of other ways. Perhaps you would achieve some economies of scale when you got really big. Perhaps you could strike some sort of deal with your suppliers to lower your costs. In particular, there was a popular view that customer data was really valuable — “the new oil” — and that if you ended up with a lot of data about a lot of customers you could find some way to make money with it. Sell ads to other money-losing startups, maybe.

This theory sometimes went by the name “blitzscaling,” and it was part of the bull case for big-name startups like Uber Technologies Inc. and WeWork Inc. It was particularly associated with the venture investments of SoftBank Group Corp. and its Vision Fund. But the name that I often used for it around here — which I borrowed from Kevin Roose at the New York Times — was “the MoviePass economy.” Not because MoviePass was the first or biggest company to use this model, but because it was the funniest and most obvious example. When you take an Uber, you don’t really know whether Uber is making or losing money on the transaction. When you saw a movie with MoviePass, you knew.

I totally forget MoviePass even re-launched. Was that article a (second) obituary?

The article mentions (with this NPR link) that it’s coming back “but in a much less funny form.”

it's being rolled out in single cities as test markets and you get "credits" to spend on movies where the price varies depending on popularity, so i'm so it seems like they're actually trying to turn a profit this time

Yeah, I knew it was coming back; Chicago is one of the test markets, and I had an invite, though I had no interest in getting a membership. I just wasn't sure if all that had happened already and the service quickly died a second death.