Movie Pass pulled some scammy stuff near the end. But they were also plagued by scammy users who were doing things like A) In cahoots with theater owners, churning passes and sharing the proceeds, or B) Users who were sharing their app with others. The Movie Pass model was never, ever, sustainable--especially after movie theaters and/or studios decided not to play nice. But putting all the bad stuff on the shoulders of Movie Pass is dishonest. By the end, Movie Pass was hideous. But before they turned entirely worthless, there were lots of issues--some of which were due to crooked users.
It appears MoviePass is about to rise from the dead. MoviePass to Return on Labor Day With Tiered Prices, Waitlist - Variety FAQ at MoviePass website: MoviePass Starting Aug.25, you will have five days to join a waitlist that will allow you join MoviePass. After the waitlist closes, the only way to join will be via an invite from a friend. It’s a little sparse on details, but it’s free to join the waitlist, so I’ll probably do that. I have never been a member of MoviePass, but am curious.
Even if AMC A-List didn't exist, I wouldn't go within 100 miles of MoviePass. At least not off the bat. That whole situation was such a mess that I wouldn't trust them until/unless they earned that trust.
The new moviepass model will be that you get a set number of viewings per month depending on the plan you're on. It's not going to be unlimited viewings like the previous moviepass. It may be a sustainable model but because of that it's also going to be a model that isn't going to be nearly as attractive.
And even then, the subscriber receives ‘credits’ each month which can be used towards the purchase of movie ticket(s). I’m guessing certain dates, screening times and movies will cost more credits than others. If they ever make a movie about this fiasco I hope they name it ‘The Thing That Wouldn’t Die’.
Not only this, but I love how their announcement shows they haven't learned a thing about customer service: "Being on the waitlist will be the only way to be able to sign up for the service in the foreseeable future ... if you do not make it on the waitlist the only way you will be able to join in the future is to receive an invite from someone."Do they really think a name brand that became associated with deception and lying to their customers is going to have thousands of people clamoring to join up with them again? There's some preliminary word that maybe 25% of theatres, at best, will be willing to contract with them. How that's supposed to compete with the chain-specific loyalty programs is beyond me. I saw a report yesterday where their new CEO was stating she thought they'd make up 30% of all tickets sold by 2030. And then the reporters noted that, even at their peak, Moviepass was accounting for something like 4% of tickets sold. It's going to be highly entertaining to watch this flop spectacularly. Again.
It's a different ballgame now too because of the pandemic - there's a greater need to lure people back to the theater (notwithstanding blockbusters like Top Gun)
We'll see. For now I'm with Oatsdad on his comment earlier today. Btw, I just got back from seeing Emily the Criminal at a CMX Cinema (formerly Cobb). Turns out they have $5 showings all day Tuesday, just like AMC. I asked the box-office guy how long that would last, but he didn't know. Now, the AMC Tuesday special is supposed to go through October. I'll be curious to see if the CMX special continues thereafter.
I didn't even realize AMC had a special. I see emails about $5 Tuesdays... but I thought they always had $5 Tuesdays. I've had A-List so long that I really don't pay attention to that stuff other than as background noise when I get notifications from AMC.
They've had discount Tuesdays for a while, but AFAIK the $5 all-day deal started last month. I was paying more before that. Before Covid, AMC had $5-6 pre-noon weekend showings, though not consistently. One location would have them for a while, then another would take over, etc. A-List? I'm lucky if there are three movies I want to see every month, let alone every week.
Discount Tuesday was $6.50 here when theaters reopened, until last month. I miss those cheap morning movies too! I’m lucky to find three movies I want to see per month at AMCs around here as well these days.
The Regal near me has $5 for all shows on Tuesday as long as you have their (free) loyalty card. I think they all do.
Vickie and I have no problem finding three movies to see most weeks, usually there's more that we want to see. And it's not that we are indiscriminating in our tastes, it's just that we pay very close attention to what opens, and we don't rely on advertisements to tell us what to be interested in. Some nights, she'll go see something that I'll have no interest in because of subject matter - not a big fan of people risking their lives for what seemed to me to be stupid reasons, like climbing a sheer cliff face "because it's there" which is an incredibly childish excuse. Admittedly, there are some weeks that're rougher because an 800 lb gorilla has walked into the room. Not too many movies wanted to go up against something like Top Gun: Maverick, and it was clogging up a lot of screens. But on the other hand, plenty of movies come out as "counter programming" to give us choices. And of course we're lucky that, for reasons that aren't entirely clear, we get plenty of Indian films and we become a familiar enough to know what ones to avoid (Telugu language comedies are generally cringeworthy.) Our approach may not work for everyone, but on the other hand we discover some amazing films.
I'll be signing up for the wait list, but sadly my closest movie theater just announced they are closing for good after Labor Day. They just couldn't bring the audiences back since they reopened.
I hardly ever go to 3 movies a week, but I average at least 4 a month, sometimes more. That's $6 a movie, so it's a deal - especially because it covers IMAX, Dolby Cinema and 3D showings! Plus other perks involved.
Yep, because of course they themselves want to wait to take on paying customers to make revenue. Great business model. This company - under whatever ownership - continues to amaze me in their audacity… or stupidity depending on how one looks at it.
This isn't about MoviePass, but since we were discussing reduced ticket prices a few days back, I figured I'd mention it here. On Saturday, Sept. 3, tickets at many theaters will be $3 all day long. Here's an article about it: Movie tickets at (many) theaters will cost just $3 on National Cinema Day
Curious - did ANYONE hear sign up for their waiting list? If so, I hope you’ll share your experiences going forward. These guys have sort of an odd fascination for me…
I did too, and I will also share. I did not sign up until last night, so who knows if I will make the cut. I kept getting an error when I tried to sign up on the first day, and did not remember to try again until last night.
I didn't have any trouble signing up early on the first day, but I heard lots and lots of people did. Not a good look for a company that a lot of people are waiting to watch fail (again).
Informative article on the ‘new’ MoviePass: Everything You Need to Know About the MoviePass Relaunch From the article: Spikes says he has already partnered with about 25% of movie-theater chains, but that does not include the three biggest in the U.S.: AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. And: Bigger films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will cost more credits than smaller, less in-demand indies. It’s unclear how many movies, on average, a subscriber will be able to see in a given month. Also: Attending a prime-time screening, say, on a Friday night, will cost you more credits than attending a screening of the same movie on a Tuesday. And: MoviePass will buy movie tickets straight from theaters and distribute them to its users. They don’t need the major movie chains’ permission to do so. I wonder how this will work for theaters where it’s all reserved seating?