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MoviePass is Going To Start Charging More For Popular Movies Next Month (qz.com) 63

Posted by msmash from the up-next dept.
As if seeing a popular movie with MoviePass -- where you can't reserve tickets in advance -- wasn't stressful enough, it's about to get more expensive, too. From a report: The movie-ticket subscription service, which charges $9.95 per month to see a movie a day in the US, will start surge pricing on popular movies next month, Business Insider reported. MoviePass will charge subscribers $2 or more to see titles that the app decides are very popular with its members beginning in July, Mitch Lowe, MoviePass's CEO, told the publication. He was vague on the details. "At certain times for certain films -- on opening weekend -- there could be an additional charge for films," Lowe said, calling the forthcoming policy "high-demand" pricing. But if you've paid for a year's subscription to MoviePass upfront, don't worry: Lowe said these subscribers would not be subjected to the new pricing policy. MoviePass will begin rolling out two other previously announced features, like the option to upgrade to premium movie formats such 3D and IMAX, or bring a friend to the movies, by August, Lowe added.
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MoviePass is Going To Start Charging More For Popular Movies Next Month More

MoviePass is Going To Start Charging More For Popular Movies Next Month

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  • Doomed business (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 25, 2018 @04:34AM (#56840898)

    Realizes it's business model is unsustainable and tries to stop the hemorrhaging....

    • Sometimes, in order to grow a business to a sustainable level, some losses must be taken. Once the necessary growth is achieved, the business can modify its model to become sustainable.

      • Sometimes, in order to grow a business to a sustainable level, some losses must be taken.

        That makes sense when you are losing money on fixed capital expenses and overhead, which are reduced as a fraction of expenses as you scale up. As Tesla scales from 1000 cars a week to 5000, their revenue goes up 400% while their expenses go up far less.

        But for MoviePass, their capital investment is negligible, and there is little overhead. They are simply losing money on nearly every customer. "Scale" does not benefit them in any way other than increasing the bleeding.

    • Subscribers know it's doomed, but who cares? I'm saving dozens of dollars a month and so I'll take advantage of it while I can. The important thing is MoviePass has proved to other companies that the subscription model is promising. You already do it with TV, music, streaming movies, etc. Now AMC has announced a subscription program for $20/month you get 3 movies a week. That's a great deal. As soon as MoviePass goes belly-up, I'll move over to AMC's plan.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Hoping... (Score:3)

    by rally2xs ( 1093023 ) on Monday June 25, 2018 @04:51AM (#56840946)

    that MoviePass can arrive at something sustainable. I bought the yearly subscription because I saw this stuff coming, the original business model appearing unworkable to me. I "knew" that they would have to start doing stuff like this and wanted the "pay up front" model so's it would be a contract violation for them to start changing extra for the features.

    Before Moviepass, my admission expenditures were $85 for the month of January (lots of great movies come out in January) and $65 in February (not so many movies coming out in February.) In case you haven't figured it out, I see almost everything, the moviegoing experience - popcorn, sit in the dark and let the world go by (escape from reality) for a couple hours, having someone else make the popcorn and clean up afterward fits my lifestyle! The movies are not more than 50% of the reason I go. That's a good thing because movies are faaar less entertaining than they used to be. Lots of movies don't even make sense any more - "A Quiet Place" is totally unbelievable since it depicts a post-apocalyptic world, but they have grid electricity, and they are plagued by animals but it seems nobody has the gumption to carry firearms and dispatch said animals. Makes no sense at all, and lots of movies are like that. Lots of the "SciFi" has little or no "Sci" and violates scientific principles from start to finish. That's hard to take for some of us with the study of science in our backgrounds. But the moviegoing experience is the thing that makes it pleasant, and sometimes the film must be endured rather than enjoyed.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You must not work in tech if you have enough free time to see that many movies.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AvitarX ( 172628 )

      Wouldn't a gun bring an insurmountable amount of the sound sensitive animals to an area?

      Haven't actually seen it, but it seems a gun would be a terrible idea from the previews and what I understand to be the premise.

      • Hush! You're talking back to a "smart" person.

      • Wouldn't a gun bring an insurmountable amount of the sound sensitive animals to an area?

        The animals/aliens have armor that bullets don't penetrate.

        Haven't actually seen it

        It is a good movie. Some movies are ruined by silly dialog, but A Quiet Place has no dialog (other than a few whispers).

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by AvitarX ( 172628 )

          I definitely want to see it, I just didn't manage to catch it.

        • It is a good movie. Some movies are ruined by silly dialog, but A Quiet Place has no dialog (other than a few whispers).

          Well, "The Economist" sure liked it:

          A new take on the talkies: “A Quiet Place” is high-concept horror at its best.

          John Krasinski transforms a B-movie conceit into a smart, nerve-shredding film.

          https://www.economist.com/pros... [economist.com]

          But if someone is looking for some Disney Candy for simple minds . . . I wouldn't send them to see Lars von Trier's "Antichrist" . . .

  • Is using MoviePass really stressful? (Score:3)

    by Nutria ( 679911 ) on Monday June 25, 2018 @05:11AM (#56840994)

    I don't use it so don't know, and thought that the purpose was to remove the (relative) stress of high ticket and concession prices and getting tickets for the showing you want.

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) * on Monday June 25, 2018 @05:46AM (#56841058)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Except it doesn't work because they all have Chinese backing and can easily starve out MoviePass.

        They also get full price on the tickets bought. They should love and promote Movie pass until the day it goes under.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by asylumx ( 881307 )
      My wife and I used it for the first time last week (complimentary month, courtesy of a friend). It was not a great experience, mainly because while my Android app stopped me from checking in while we were too far away, her iPhone app did not and when we arrived at the theater her card did not function at the cashier. So far, it's understandable. She figured "it let me check in so I'm good" but the rules state you have to pick up your ticket within 30 mins of checking in. Chalk that part up to "users don

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Nutria ( 679911 )

        I must be confusing MoviePass with the service that lets you watch first-run movies at home.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Anonymous Coward

          That's Prima Cinema.

    • I use it once a week, sometimes more, and never had an issue. In the parking lot I use the app to select the cinema and movie I want, by the time I want to the kiosk the credit card is read. I pay, bring up the app again to take a quick picture of the ticket, close out the app, and that is it.
      You are required to take pictures of the ticket to prove you purchased a ticket and for the movie you selected.
      This new change with the charging for busy times could be an issue but there is not enough info about i

    • I've got to say, I just don't go to enough movies in a year to justify MoviePass. When I do go the probabilities are that I'm going to the most popular movies on the opening weekend.

      So it's like MoviePass is actively working to make their service unattractive to me.

      I agree with a lot of others here. Their service is unsustainable. There just aren't enough movies being produced in a year to see more than a couple of movies a month in the high release months. In most months there's little I'd want to see anyw

    • It is actually a little stressful. You can only 'check in' to get a ticket within an hour of the showtime, and within 100 yards of the theater, and you then have to use their card in person at a kiosk (usually; depending on the theater). So this means for a popular movie I have to keep an eye out in case the theater is filling up, especially if I'm coordinating with friends. How many seats are left? Are those acceptable seats? Is it filling up so quickly that we should think of another showing? Etc. Definit

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        It is actually a little stressful. You can only 'check in' to get a ticket within an hour of the showtime, and within 100 yards of the theater, and you then have to use their card in person at a kiosk (usually; depending on the theater). So this means for a popular movie I have to keep an eye out in case the theater is filling up, especially if I'm coordinating with friends. How many seats are left? Are those acceptable seats? Is it filling up so quickly that we should think of another showing? Etc. Definit

  • Only seems fair to charge more as it would help cover other costs. http://www.naijadailyfeed.com/ [naijadailyfeed.com]

  • Almost all movies are popular (Score:3)

    by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Monday June 25, 2018 @09:32AM (#56841770) Homepage Journal

    There are only maybe 5 movies out at any given time. Plus whatever crap from last season the cheap theaters are still showing, but if you're an avid enough movie goer to have a subscription you've already seen those older movies.

    That said the current subscription price doesn't make a lot of sense and is probably too low. But people don't like paying more for subscriptions especially if it's a per-person sort of thing like Moviepass.

    • It depends on where you live and what type of movies you like. I'm lucky enough to live in an area that has multiple theaters that specialize in independent and foreign films. I've used my MoviePass over 60 times since the first of the year. If you live in a small town, you wouldn't have nearly as many options, but in most large metro areas, there's more available than people realize.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by b0bby ( 201198 )

        Yeah, most of the movies I have seen aren't that popular - for example, the Mr Rogers documentary. I'm lucky to have some good theaters nearby.

      • My local theater has several Indian films, but I don't include that because it's not clear to me that Moviepass is going to work at such a theater. And the little independent theater is showing stuff like Pink Flamingos and Re-Animator right now. I'm not convinced something like Moviepass is worthwhile for that, nor do I know if it will even work.

  • I wonder how many people like me that used to go to the movies every weekend for entertainment have decided that movies simply aren't worth the risk of disappointment anymore?

    Whereas I'd go to the movies 10-20 years ago by default and find a movie to watch, these days we wait for it to come out on streaming or blu-ray to watch at home because the chances are more likely than not that we're going to be disappointed.

    I can't tell you how many movies my wife and I have started, gotten 10-30 minutes into, and tu

  • Huh? (Score:3)

    by dcw3 ( 649211 ) on Monday June 25, 2018 @12:05PM (#56842642) Journal

    "will charge subscribers $2 or more to see titles..."

    Why would I pay $2 to see...oops, didn't have my reading glasses.

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