Troy Stiffler

I don't understand the specifics of the program. And it seems like it'd generate a convoluted mess for tickets sales, theater cuts, etc. But I'd go to see 'lesser' movies if I had a 'blanketed' or heavily discounted subscription to movies at Harkins or AMC.

For instance, right now, I have to see Master and Looper. Probably this weekend. They are must-sees for me. But if I were somehow lumped into a plan, where other movies become cheap, I'd see Bourne, House at the End of the Street, Timothy Green and Possession. Without the plan - I'll just catch them on Netflix someday.

Matthew Chmiel

Wow! What crawled up your ass today and died?

The odds of a pre-paid Discover Card working are a lot higher than the uneducated theater employees who don't know how to accept Hollywood Movie Money. MoviePass' customer service has always been top notch and when my Hollywood Movie Money has failed in the past, MoviePass has always gone out of their way to reimburse me and I'm sure the trend will continue here if a theater is incorrectly listed under the service.

From what the press release read like, a monthly membership shouldn't cost more than $39.99 a month. However, when I asked the customer service representative earlier how much memberships would cost for new customers (specifically in Vegas), she was unable to provide me with that information.

Again, in the past, MoviePass ran off the Hollywood Movie Money system. You pick your movie and showtime online, print out the Hollywood Movie Money certificate, hand it to the cashier at the box office and you have your ticket. Switching the process to a prepaid credit card is a lot simpler as it removes the "human error" (those who can't ring out the certificate) piece to it.

In fact, this is a win-win for everyone. As per the press release: "'MoviePass recently completed nine-months of closed beta trials and saw members increase their movie theater attendance by as much as 64 percent and their concession sales by 123 percent,' said Hamet Watt, cofounder of MoviePass. 'This should come as very exciting news to our industry as we look for new ways to engage with moviegoers.'"

If anything, my own personal movie attendance this year has more than quadrupled since last year... and yes, I spend a lot more on popcorn and drinks than I did in the past.

The Bus

Couldn't find a list of locations easily on their site. At $30/month it's doable but my movie watching is still highly fragmented between blockbusters and art house. Add in the occasional screening, and I still think paying as I go would end up better.

If anything, I would gladly pay memberships (to Film Forum in Manhattan or BAM in Brooklyn) to reduce my prices, as I know this goes directly to the theater and the community, not some corporation outside of it.

I really like the structure here for one of the arthouse chains in Sydney, the Dendy (owned by Icon). A membership reduces your ticket price to $13.50 for you and a companion, and for every five visits, you get one free (companion tickets don't count). That comes out to an average of just over $10 per ticket, which is fantastic in a city where a blockbuster starts at $19 (and goes up to $32 for IMAX).

Are movies still limited to one per day?

gp1086

Movies here in NYC average $13.50 a ticket. If this comes out to approx $40 per month and AMC, Regal, and some of the independent theaters take it, seems like a sure thing good investment for me.

Matthew Chmiel

Yes, because now you actually have to be at the theater to check in (which then puts the value on your prepaid card).

EDIT: My Jew of a wife just mentioned that if you wanted to "cheat" the system, you could go on $5 day and see up to three movies as it puts $15 on the card.

That's honestly the way I always looked at it. If I see two 3D or IMAX films a month, the membership has already paid for itself.

Hadrian7

Hey Matt, if you have any further invites when it opens up again, I would sure appreciate one. The list of theaters in Vegas is pretty good it seems.

Matthew Chmiel

Of course. And yes, it'll work at any Vegas theater. Except Tropicana Cinemas.

Why So Blu?

Where can I look at a map to see participating theaters in Los Angeles? The movie pass website doesn't have shit except for the invitation waiting list page.

Matthew Chmiel

What's your zip code? In theory, any theater that accepts Discover is a participating theater.

bluetoast

Question about this service: Do I still get movie ticket stubs after checking in with the phone? What about rewards with AMC or Regal?

Why So Blu?

That helps then, since the theaters I frequent don't actually accept Discover. I did get that email that says I have been accepted into the program, though.

Matthew Chmiel

Yes and yes.

bluetoast

Nice. I just got accepted but I don't think I'll actually join until a bit later.

Edit: Does it work for Fathom Events or anything that would be playing in the theater (aside from 3D)?

Also, how does it work in terms of box office? How does the studio get "my" money when I see a movie?

Goat3001

I just claimed my offer at $30 a month for NYC. Quite the bargain. If I go to 3 movies a month then it's a steal. I can see myself going way more now too, even the movies I don't really want to see.

It seems to me that this only works for 2D movies. Not sure though.

Anyone interested in an invitation, feel free to PM me your email address.

auto

Your wife is Jewish?

RoboDad

I got an invitation, and saw the bit about only allowing 2D movies. My question is, how do they enforce that. What I mean by that is, why couldn't I select the 2D showing in the app, and then pay the difference for a 3D showing in cash at the ticket window?

I've been using Costco pre-purchased "tickets" for years, and the theater has always allowed me to do that, for both 3D and IMAX showings.

gp1086

I got the invite and chatted with them for some questions I had. Should hopefully clear up some stuff for you guys:

- Does not work in conjunction with theater rewards program such as AMC Stubs or Regal Crown Club

- May only buy tickets for 2D movies within 30 minutes of showtime at the theater. So, this would obviously not work for advance tickets of midnight releases, Fandango purchases, etc.

- It can support switching of mobile devices (i.e. getting the iPhone 5 from the iPhone 4 if you upgrade during your membership)

Regarding paying the difference on a 3D movie, I don't think that is supported.

Still a good deal in my opinion - at least for me. $35 for NYC which sells regular tickets at $14 a pop.

RoboDad

Those two stipulations alone are complete deal breakers for me. Many of the time the movies we want to see are sold out more than 30 minutes prior to showtime. That would mean either going to much less convenient showings, or having to wait.

As I mentioned before, we pre-purchase our tickets at Costco for $7.50/ticket, AND we get to use the Regal Crown Club (the theater treats the Costco ticket as cash), so we end up getting one free ticket every other month on average.

I'm trying to see some way this works out in my favor, but there is none. Unless I see 4 or more movies a month in the theater (which is rare, with 2-3 being average), and I'm willing to completely forgo 3D/IMAX, AND I'm willing to attend inconvenient showings (or wait until movies die down in popularity), all I am getting is the "convenience" of buying tickets from my phone.

I'm going to have to "pass" on MoviePass until they relax the rules quite a bit, or at least give more options that make it appealing to me.

Matthew Chmiel

Just for clarification:

You have 30 minutes to purchase the tickets the moment you check in to the theater. You're able to purchase tickets to a later showing, but the value amount ($13.00 - $15.00, depending on your area) only lasts on the card for 30 minutes.

Also, there are ways around the rules. They might break your agreement with the service, but it's pretty easy on how to do so. While I still haven't received my card yet, my co-workers have... and they've probably broken each rule MoviePass has already in less than a week.

GO GO IT DEPARTMENT!

gp1086

Yeah. I think it's really to each their own. For me personally, I rarely see 3D or IMAX movies and maybe only go to 2 or so midnight screenings a year for which I can bite the bullet. Most of the time I go either during the day on weekends or nighttime on weekdays, so usually don't have an issue with selling out.

Given that movie tickets near me are $14 a pop and I'm paying $35 for this, I just need to see over 2 a month for it to pay off. Plus, now I'm more likely to check out stuff that I wouldn't have before just off the cusp. Kind of sucks that I paid my fee for AMC Stubs this year, but that was a mere $12 and I'll still get my free upgrades on popcorn/soft drinks and $10 for every $100 I spend on concessions.

gp1086

Interesting on the loopholes...

So that means if I arrive at the theater two weeks before a midnight showing, I can still purchase my tickets as long as I've checked into that theater within 30 mins? That's actually a nice bonus I didn't realize.

bluetoast

Okay but how does this service translate to my dollars going into the specific movies at the box office?

Matthew Chmiel

Because MoviePass is paying for your ticket?

bluetoast

You mean when I check in and get the tickets each time? That makes sense now.

GatorDeb

I would do it if I could Do I have to invited? I live in Vegas and signed up months ago and nothing. Sigh. I'd pay today if I could.