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MoviePass Brings Back Its Unlimited Movie Plan (techcrunch.com)

The subscription plan that made MoviePass explode in popularity is coming back. If you're willing to pay for a full year (via ACH payment), "MoviePass Uncapped" will cost the same as the original unlimited plan, namely $9.95 per month, and will allow you to get an unlimited number of 2D movie tickets. TechCrunch reports: Now, you may be thinking that this kind of deal is exactly what got MoviePass into so much trouble last year, to the point where it nearly ran out of money and began announcing new pricing plans and restrictions on a seemingly constant basis. However, the company's announcement today includes multiple references to its ability to "combat violations" of MoviePass' terms of use. And those terms do say that "MoviePass has the right to limit the selection of movies and/or the times of available movies should your individual use adversely impact MoviePass's system-wide capacity or the availability of the Service for other subscribers."

So if you're a heavy MoviePass user, the plan may not be truly unlimited. In addition, you'll only be able to reserve tickets three hours before showtime, and you'll need to check in to the theater between 10 and 30 minutes before the movie starts.
Worth noting: the $9.95 per month rate is available only if you pay for a full year, otherwise it will cost $14.95 for a limited time. The regular price will be $19.95 per month.

50 comments

  1. Oh? by youngone · · Score: 1

    Are those guys still going?
    I thought they would have run out of other people's money by now.

    1. Re:Oh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ACH is a crafty scam. They can pull near infinite amounts of money out of people's accounts once they have your account numbers.

      Also, maybe they will share securities of their own company this way? "Click here to buy shares of our failing company! We already have your bank info, so it's easy!"

    2. Re:Oh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And more importantly, your ability to charge back against an ACH is much more limited. In my experience, ACH is only protected from outright fraud. Anything else and you are usually on your own to take it to court, get a court order, and then be able to enforce collection on that court order. I once authorized a company for a single ACH usage. About 9 months later they pulled for something else I didn't authorize (which caused an overdraft on that account, since it's an account I only put money into specifically for the charges I intend), and the credit union wouldn't even waive the fee because I had given the company the account number and thus authorized their usage. On the other hand, many credit cards (especially american express) are very liberal with allowing chargebacks against anything that doesn't 100% uphold the terms of the sale. And at that point, it's now the company's responsibility to take you to court, get a judgement against you, and collect on their judgement.

    3. Re:Oh? by omnichad · · Score: 2

      I think that's the secret. Read the terms and they'll probably deduct the full movie ticket price straight from your bank account if you get a ticket that you shouldn't have been entitled to.

  2. Carlin said it best by rmdingler · · Score: 1

    Limited time only, though, so act now, order today, send no money, Offer good while supplies last, two to a customer, each item sold separately, Batteries not included, mileage may vary, all sales are final, Allow six weeks for delivery, some items not available, Some assembly required, some restrictions may apply.

    George

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

  3. Hmm ... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... the $9.95 per month rate is available only if you pay for a full year, ...

    So, about the same price as Amazon Prime or Netflix but without any confidence that MoviePass will still exist in a year. No thanks.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:Hmm ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, about the same price as Amazon Prime or Netflix but without any confidence that MoviePass will still exist in a year. No thanks.

      Yeah, it sure sounds like those supplemental insurance plans on cars, HVAC, etc. Collect the premium then go bankrupt after draining all the assets.

    2. Re:Hmm ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My local theater has a $5 Tuesday option, and a $6 Senior plan (55+).
      I should be so lucky that I can find more than 2 movies a month that I have to see in the theater...

  4. Just about by SuperKendall · · Score: 0

    I thought they would have run out of other people's money by now.

    Well why do you think they are asking for a year up front....

    "I'll gladly give you a movie in December if you pay me for one today...."

    Yeah right.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Just about by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      1. Sell annual subscriptions for $120 each in March.
      2. Pay big bonuses to C?Os in April.
      3. Declare bankruptcy in May.
      4. Profit!!!

    2. Re:Just about by skegg · · Score: 1

      That's what I thought when I read TFS.

      Another possibility is that they don't go belly-up, but rather restrict access: unlimited no longer equals unlimited

    3. Re: Just about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh no, I paid my property taxes in advance! What if my house washes away.

    4. Re:Just about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Another possibility is that they don't go belly-up, but rather restrict access: unlimited no longer equals unlimited

      Ah, you mean use the telecom definition of "unlimited".

    5. Re:Just about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought they would have run out of other people's money by now.

      Well why do you think they are asking for a year up front....

      "I'll gladly give you a movie in December if you pay me for one today...."

      Yeah right.

      Exactly.

      Vote with your wallet.

      Just say no to scam companies.

    6. Re: Just about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We should be so lucky that they'd use a fixed definition of unlimited.

      My honest reaction to the article was, oh no, we're starting the huge parade of different offers every other week *again*?

    7. Re: Just about by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Oh no, I paid my property taxes in advance! What if my house washes away.

      Your house is more likely than MoviePass to still be around in a year's time. Although, with that said, everyone expected them to go belly-up before year's end last year. In hindsight, I wish I had bought a Movie Pass a year ago seeing that they are still around today.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    8. Re:Just about by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Stop putting limits on the definition of unlimited. It should have an unlimited number of definitions.

    9. Re: Just about by laie_techie · · Score: 1

      We should be so lucky that they'd use a fixed definition of unlimited.

      My honest reaction to the article was, oh no, we're starting the huge parade of different offers every other week *again*?

      TFS says you can only purchase tickets at most 3 hours before the showtime and must show up between 15 and 30 minutes before the movie starts. I like to buy tickets at least a week out so I can coordinate schedules, not to mention avoiding block busters being sold-out. Seems like the left-over hotel rooms sold for cheap on third party sites.

  5. Re:I think you mean by wolfheart111 · · Score: 0

    Hamburgers :)

    --
    [($)]
  6. Unlimited by fox171171 · · Score: 2

    Probably using the new definition of "unlimited" popularized by ISPs/telecoms.

    1. Re:Unlimited by PastTense · · Score: 1

      No! "And those terms do say that "MoviePass has the right to limit the selection of movies and/or the times of available movies should your individual use adversely impact MoviePass's system-wide capacity or the availability of the Service for other subscribers."

      So you will be able to watch an unlimited number of movies--the only tiny restriction is that these will be the rotten movies no one else wants to watch.

    2. Re:Unlimited by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      No! "And those terms do say that "MoviePass has the right to limit the selection of movies and/or the times of available movies should your individual use adversely impact MoviePass's system-wide capacity or the availability of the Service for other subscribers."

      So you will be able to watch an unlimited number of movies--the only tiny restriction is that these will be the rotten movies no one else wants to watch.

      At times no one wants to watch movies at. So yeah, watch as many rotten movies as you want, the ones that play in the afternoon only. Evening showings are excluded. Also only on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

    3. Re: Unlimited by mhkohne · · Score: 1

      No, they just change the deal ever other week. Today it's unlimited, tomorrow it's a selection of z-grade horror flicks.

      --
      A thousand pounds of wood moving at 300 feet per minute. Don't get in the way.
    4. Re:Unlimited by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I don't mind when words change meaning, but they should really publish what the unlimit on their service actually is.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Unlimited by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't mind when words change meaning, ...

      All of the words in your sentence just changed meaning again and it now means you're a child molester, no wait, you're the president, no wait, you're a bartender, no wait... We should make a game called Sabaac.

    6. Re:Unlimited by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      At least with Netflix I can watch all the rotten movies I want whenever I want.

    7. Re:Unlimited by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Linguistic Calvinball!

  7. ACH by denbesten · · Score: 1

    Not the company I would want to give direct access to my bank account.

    1. Re:ACH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "We're sorry. You forgot to read about all of our hidden fees, which we will now be withdrawing from your account..."

    2. Re:ACH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, ACH means they can empty your bank account anytime they like. I have a separate bank account that I use for ACH and Paypal transfers to prevent exactly this abuse. I also only write paper checks from this account in the rare case where I have to use one. (usually for government stuff since they are entirely backwards on technology)

      Though, simply knowing a bank account number also lets a fraudster drain the account. A paper check does not need to have your name on it to be accepted. As long as the account number and the routing number match a real account, and that account has enough to cover the check, it gets paid.

      The check image I got back was a check from some other dude (who they probably had a fake id for) with the micr section of my check literally cut and pasted on to it.

      I asked the bank "why did you authorize this?" And their reply was that it isn't their responsibility to keep merchants from cashing bad checks. After i got my money back, I no longer bank with them.

  8. an unlimited number of 2D movie tickets. by grep+-v+'.*'+* · · Score: 1

    Right -- for very small and randomly changing values of unlimited.

    Thanks, but you've got a negative brownie point score. You'll have to try MUCH harder than that just to reach zero. I'd say change your name to MovieAss so the consumer knows exactly what they're getting. Truth in labeling, don't cha' know?

    --
    If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
    1. Re:an unlimited number of 2D movie tickets. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right -- for very small and randomly changing values of unlimited.

      I disagree with "random". The terms clearly parse "unlimited" as "subject to the company's cash flow."

    2. Re:an unlimited number of 2D movie tickets. by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Unlimited is the amount of money they will drain from your bank account via ACH.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
  9. No more movies for you, coming soon by misnohmer · · Score: 1

    Pre-pay for a year in advance, with fine print stated in the OP's post. I wonder if "we are short on funds, therefore any of your usage of the pass impact's MovePass's system-wide capacity, therefore no more movies for you this year, and no refund either".

    It sounds like company's last ditch effort to get some capital, hoping most people who buy it will never use it. It didn't work before, so what exactly is different now?

  10. Flatrate viewing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    After three movies, the frame rate gets limited to 6 Hz and audio gets limited to 4 KHz.

  11. "Unlimited"? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Someone get these idiots a dictionary.

  12. Here's a better idea by DrXym · · Score: 1

    Only pay to watch movies which are worth watching and then you won't be locked into a subscription or watching garbage to justify that decision. It'll work out cheaper both financially and in terms of your time.

  13. 57 channels and nothing on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bruce Springsteen wrote 57channels way back. Seems little has changed, for me at least. Have Netflix, Amazon prime, and OTA with dvr (tivo) , and I barely watch an hour a day, and still find little content on the three sources.

    Would love to hear from a subscriber what I'm missing (I'm not being snarky).

    1. Re:57 channels and nothing on by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Bruce Springsteen wrote 57channels way back. Seems little has changed, for me at least. Have Netflix, Amazon prime, and OTA with dvr (tivo) , and I barely watch an hour a day, and still find little content on the three sources.

      Would love to hear from a subscriber what I'm missing (I'm not being snarky).

      Yeah, we have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. I personally watch less than an hour a day on average- but my kids watch a lot and so does my wife. Hulu probably gets the most use followed by Netflix. We rarely watch anything on Amazon and would probably cut it, but we use it for the free shipping mainly anyway.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:57 channels and nothing on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are missing the point of this article. It is about movies not TV.

  14. Re:"Shanghai" Bill is a known liar many times over by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not stalking, I simply read and when I see a comment from a known liar many, many times who repeatedly, even after directly contradicted with evidence from myriad sources of all sides, continues to lie? I point that out.

    If links would convince anyone I'd surely go back and repost them like I did the first few days. Instead, I'll let someone publicly defend Bill and try to call me a liar... then I'll whip them out like twin cocks and fuck their eyes out.

    (Because fuck punk ass liars in their fucking eye sockets until they are dead.)

    And you are a loser, but we don't follow you around.

  15. 10 and 30 minutes before the movie starts by doconnor · · Score: 1

    Maybe they want you to check in 10 and 30 minutes before the movie starts do ensure you'll watch all the preshow commercials. Previously, I expect regular users always arrived late to avoid the commercials.

    1. Re:10 and 30 minutes before the movie starts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I assume this is why theaters with assigned seating are not more numerous.

  16. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 0

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  17. Unlimited by Danathar · · Score: 1

    It's the Verizon/Comcast version of "Unlimited" You can use it any way you like as long as it's how we say.

  18. I tried, I really tried to stay with them by darkone · · Score: 2

    I used MoviePass for a year, I just canceled my account two weeks ago.

    At first it was great, unlimited (one per day). Then you could not watch the same movie twice, then it became 3 movies a month, I stayed with them, still a good deal.

    These last 4 months has been horrible. For the $10 plan each day you have a limited selection of what you can see ( https://moviepass.com/movies/ ). On top of that, VERY often (9/10) you load the app and it says "No movies today" at all the theatres around you. I've read since I'm on the east coast, I'm luckier than those on the west coast. Sometimes you would check the app, see a movie playing nearby, and when you got to the theatre, it was no longer available. I even tried mid-day weekday shows. Hit or miss (more miss).

    Ahh well, it was fun while it lasted.