MoviePass Limiting Subscribers To 3 Movies Per Month (npr.org)

nolaguy shares a report from NPR: Movie theater subscription service MoviePass will not be raising prices, as it had announced last week, but will instead be capping the number of times that subscribers can visit movie theaters. For $9.95 per month, MoviePass subscribers used to be able to see a movie in theaters every day, if they so chose. Beginning on August 15, the service will instead provide three movies per month. The change replaces a previously announced plan to raise prices to $14.95 a month. The beleaguered movie theater subscription company is also canceling two other recent changes -- "peak pricing" surcharges for popular movies and a ticket verification process -- that were intended to stop the company from bleeding money.

Comments

Enough

[dohzer]

Three movies per month should be enough for anyone.

Re:Enough

[mattyj]

They're still 10's of millions of dollars in the hole, just to get to even, much less profitable.

They say that the problem was people that 'abused' the system, meaning people that took them up on the original offer as stated. Even at three movies a month, they're still buying tickets at full price and selling them for less. So yeah, I think they'd need about 90% of their subscribers to pay them each month and choose not to see any movies. Good luck with that.

Re:Enough

[markdavis]

>"Three movies per month should be enough for anyone."

That is $3.32 per movie, assuming one always saw 3 movies a month (and not counting the "price" of your privacy). Still not a bad deal. Except, are there really even 3 movies worth seeing each and every month? Sure, there are probably months where I could find 3 interesting things in a month, but other months it could be higher, and most months it would be lower. Too bad they didn't work out a "banking" or "rollover" system so you could utilize those passes later. Seems like that would be a reasonable next step coming off of "unlimited."

Re:Enough

[PseudoAnon]

Things like data collection/analysis and advertising can bring in extra money. I remember reading that they had planned on tracking where people went near theaters and that they were planning on offering ads/coupons to nearby places. And it seems like there's potential for more beyond that if they're competent enough to get it done. I imagine they'd have to make a lot of money off of that to make up for losses though.

Re:Enough

[Zaelath]

Why would I pay $15 per month instead of just going on Tuesday or Wednesday

Because you have a job?

Re:Enough

[ShanghaiBill]

They say that the problem was people that 'abused' the system, meaning people that took them up on the original offer as stated.

No, some of the abuse was much worse than that. For instance, I installed my Moviepass app on my burner phone so I could loan it to other people. My wife watched several movies per week, my daughter used it, and she also loaned it to her friends. We were probably doing 20 movies a month, costing them 20 times the subscription fee.

For three movies per month, we will likely still keep it.

Re:Enough

[jellomizer]

So people like you are the reason why we can't have nice things for too long.

These big businesses scamming us with high prices and strict rules, because there are enough people abusing the system to prevent honest business.

Honest business needs both honest companies and honest customers.

Where's Fucked Company when you need them?

[mhkohne]

This would be a lovely entry. Anyone taking bets yet on how long till it dies?

Re:Where's Fucked Company when you need them?

[Anonymous Coward]

This story goes way deeper. The parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, is a spin-off of Helios and Matheson Information Technology, an Indian ponzi scheme that defrauded between five and seven thousand investors, including the elderly and banks. The Indian principals' accounts in India are still frozen and the fraud investigation is still pending. Some of them were involved in the US H&M board or got hired as "consultants" to the US board for over $18K/month.

https://www.businessinsider.com/moviepass-has-deep-ties-to-indian-company-accused-of-fraud-2018-6

The newer US board and C-levels are serial penny-stock entrepreneurs in fields like psychic phone networks and marijuana vending machines.

The whole thing was always a blend of ponzi and pump and dump. They use hype to lure in investors, and they were wildly successful, running the stock up to 8000 less than a year ago and crashing it to less than a dollar.

Everyone who ever touched either Helios and Matheson needs to be investigated and held as a flight risk, especially the Indians who already fled India. This company needs to be prosecuted as an example and deterrent.

not be raising prices?

[fahrbot-bot]

For $9.95 per month, MoviePass subscribers used to be able to see a movie in theaters every day, if they so chose. Beginning on August 15, the service will instead provide three movies per month. The change replaces a previously announced plan to raise prices to $14.95 a month.

So, instead of a max of 30 movies/month for $14.95 (up from $9.95) it will be a max of 3 movies/month for $9.95. How is this not effectively a price increase? Fewer at the same price is equivalent to the same number at a higher price.

For example. It's like smaller rolls of toilet paper but at the same price, because customers notice the "price point" not actual value. If you haven't noticed, toilet paper used to be 4.5"x4.5", then most switched to 4.5"x4" or 4.25"x4", now it's 4"x4" or 4"x3.92" -- but all at the same price as 4.5"x4.5". (Google: toilet paper smaller)

Re:not be raising prices?

[Sebby]

It's like smaller rolls of toilet paper but at the same price, because customers notice the "price point" not actual value. If you haven't noticed, toilet paper used to be 4.5"x4.5", then most switched to 4.5"x4" or 4.25"x4", now it's 4"x4" or 4"x3.92" -- but all at the same price as 4.5"x4.5". (Google: toilet paper smaller)

Is this where the three little shells comes from?

They did

[rsilvergun]

or at least that's how they sold it to investors. If nothing else this proves that folks like going to the movies and would go more often if the price was lower.

Bait and Switch

[Stan92057]

Surprised to hear no one suing for false advertising. Sell full access to all movies, switch to 3 a month is Bait and Switch, that against the law in the US as far as i know.

Re:Bait and Switch

[azadrozny]

How is it against the law to change the price or offerings of your subscription service? For all the company's faults, they seem to be doing this aboveboard. If you feel that it is no longer a good value, then just cancel the subscription.

Interesting concept of a contract

[sphealey]

MoviePass certainly has an interesting concept of how a contract works, one where they collect money upfront (the 2017 holiday promotion) and then unilaterally change the terms of the contract later. I wonder how they will fair in court with that?

Re:Interesting concept of a contract

[Known Nutter]

I wonder how they will fair in court with that?

Well, IANAL, but:

You are expected to read these Terms of Use because your use of our Site and Service constitutes your agreement to the Arbitration Agreement and Class Action waiver described in Sections 17 and 18 below to resolve any disputes with us...

17. Arbitration And Small Claims Proceedings

(i) EITHER YOU OR WE MAY CHOOSE TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN US DECIDED BY ARBITRATION AND NOT IN COURT OR BY JURY TRIAL.

(ii) IF A DISPUTE IS ARBITRATED, YOU AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE AS A CLASS REPRESENTATIVE OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE AGAINST US IN STATE OR FEDERAL COURT INCLUDING ANY RIGHT TO CLASS ARBITRATION OR ANY CONSOLIDATION OF INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATIONS.

https://www.moviepass.com/term...

Re:Interesting concept of a contract

[Zaelath]

Arbitration is just cheaper and faster, it doesn't make illegal shit any more legal.

RIP MoviePass

[richardtallent]

In light of recent events, I am now limiting my MoviePass subscription to $0 / month.

Sad to see it go, I never expected their business model to last long term, but it was a good run... :(

Re:RIP MoviePass

[TomGreenhaw]

The problem with Moviepass now: you go to see a movie you would normally not pay for, only to find out that you can't use Moviepass. Standing at the theater you decide to pay full price for a crummy movie not worth paying for.

The next time you are thinking about going to a movie, you decide its not worth the risk, and the next time you need to renew Moviepass, you decide its not worth the risk.