It seems inevitable that going to the movies will be a thing of the past. It costs at least $10 to go and see a movie, and you can get an entire month of Netflix for less than that. But then factor in all the other costs associated with going to the movies, and it doesn’t seem like a viable option any more. That’s not to say that it’s not fun or enjoyable. But it’s hard to justify paying that kind of price when you can get some pretty amazing tech in your home. There are much larger TV screens than ever before. With much improved picture quality, and improvements in speaker systems. Which makes the difference between watching it at a theatre and viewing it in your home, narrow.
But MoviePass is trying to get you back into the theatre. What exactly is MoviePass? How does it work? And how can it save you money? Read on, friends to find out everything you need to know about MoviePass.
- MoviePass is a subscription based service. For a monthly fee, subscribers can watch up to one film per day in participating movie theatres.
- The company started in 2011 in New York. Initially users could print off vouchers and redeem them for tickets. Interest remained relatively low until October 2012, when a subscription model replaced the voucher system.
Over all MoviePass wasn’t doing well. By the end of 2016, the service still only had 20,000 subscribers. So why is everyone suddenly interested in this service? Back in August, MoviePass became quite the bargain. MoviePass announced that it would lower the price for unlimited films down to $9.95 per month. Thus putting it into a similar price bracket as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and all of the other streaming services. MoviePass CEO said, “After years of studying and analysis we found that people want to go to the movies more often, but the pricing keeps going up, and that prevents them from going more. We’re making it more affordable for people.” And it paid off well for MoviePass, who picked up 150,000 new subscribers in the first 48 hours after making the announcement.
How exactly does MoviePass work?
- MoviePass relies on the use of an app. Available for both Android and iOS. If you don’t have either of those, you won’t be able to use the service.
- Once you’ve signed up and agreed to pay the monthly fee, MoviePass will send you a card in the mail. Once you receive the card, you can activate the app and start buying tickets.
- When you go to the movie theatre, make sure you take your MoviePass card with you. If you don’t have it, you won’t be able ot redeem the ticket and watch the film.
What Benefits Do Subscribers Enjoy?
- You can use your MoviePass card in 4,000 theatres and across 36,000 individual screens. The company is adding new movie theatres all the time.
- You can pay month to month. You don’t have to sign up for a 12 month contract.
- Don’t worry about black out dates at busy times of the year. You can use your subscription at any time.
- You also don’t need to worry about availability. As soon as a movie hits the theatres, you can go and watch it. Even on in demand nights.
Of course, there are some limitations to the service. Which is completely understandable, given the low price.
- You cannot watch 3D movies, or any movie being shown on a “special screen”, such as IMAX or film festivals. T
- The plan only covers you for one non-transferable ticket. So if you and your boyfriend want to go to the movies, you will both need a membership. But that’s understandable, isn’t it?
- You have to be at least 18 to utilize the service.
- And, sadly, it only works in America at the moment.
AMC was looking into blocking MoviePass through legal action as it felt that the model wasn’t viable from a financial perspective. Will other big chain movie theatres follow suit? What do you think of this idea? I personally like it in principle. But I wonder if the price is a bit low, and is acting as a money grab at the moment. Is MoviePass banking on more subscriptions being sold, than people attending movies? They do, after all, have to pay for the movies somehow. And even if there is a “deal” being made between the theatre and MoviePass, $10 a month doesn’t seem viable at all. On the other hand, this looks like an incredible opportunity and it should be taken advantage of while it still can be.