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  • Goodbye MoviePass

    Goodbye MoviePass

    It is now time to dump Moviepass. I have been an avid supporter and a celebrated recruiter for Moviepass. I’ve championed Moviepass to everyone I know and gained many subscriptions for the Movie Theater subscription company. Unfortunately, with a heavy heart, I am today canceling my subscription. Why say goodbye MoviePass you ask, 3 Big reasons, lets talk about them.

    Dumping MoviePass Reason 1

    It is no longer unlimited. If you have been following my post regarding MoviePass and the scores of negative press perpetrated my the fake news media arm of Hollywood, you would be very familiar with MoviePasse’s woes. At its hay day Moviepass was hemorrhaging money allowing all of us to see whatever we wanted at the theater for $9.99 a month. All month I would see what ever Hollywood could throw in to the theaters along with all the movies I have been anticipating. Now Movie pass has cut my subscription to a measly 3 movies a month.. It is still a good deal and I will see at least 3 movies a month. Lets’ move on to reason numbered 2.

    Reason Number 2

    I have a reduced selection of what I can see. It changes daily and is different from theater to theater. No longer Can I plan on seeing a movie, I have to check day of for a time I can see a movie, and it’s never available. Coupled with no new releases, and bad show times. It has become impossible to actually viably use it. Now I’m paying $9.99 a month for 3 movies I probably don’t want to see at a time I don’t want to go to the movies. Still so what, its only $10 and will push me to the movies and the theater experience. Ok fine, but now on to the straw that broke the camel’s back.

    Who is That

    AMC A-list. Now I can see the hit job Hollywood put out of MoviePass. If successful It could alter the long time strangle hold the Hollywood studio elite has on distributions. All moral outrage and conspiracy’s aside, The AMC A-List is a really great option. It took a while for AMC to come up with a MoviePass competitor, but all signs seem to indicate that the service is a success.

    AMC has an advantage, they own the theater. The Subscription plan, aside from being more stable, is letting me see three movies a week for a monthly fee of $19.95. It’s not Unlimited but it is more than enough. I can see them all in one day or whenever I want. I can reserve seats and buy advance tickets. It even lets me go to advanced screening and premiers. There is only one catch, I have to go to AMC only theaters, I don’t really have one of those around…

    GoodBye MoviePass

    So Long MoviePass, I’ve found a new theater date. And No, your idle threat of not letting me return to you for 9 month isn’t changing my decision. I would consider returning, Maybe one day when you have evolved to stop being so useless. For now it’s GoodBye MoviePass.

  • The Latest MoviePass Update

    The Latest MoviePass Update

    Here we go again, I got another one of those update emails from MoviePass CEO. This is the latest MoviePass update and it is  changing it’s service yet again. This time they say it is for good, I have my doubts. In this MoviePass Update it will significantly limit which films its customers can see on any given day.

    The letter the company began sending out today said that as it transitions to the new subscription plan it began imposing yesterday — limiting monthly subscribers to just three films per month — it will offer a limited selection of movies and showtimes each day. “During this transition period, MoviePass will offer up to six films to choose from daily, including a selection of major studio first-run films and independent releases,” said the letter. “In addition, showtime availability may be limited depending on the popularity of those films on the app that particular day.”

    You can see what films are available on MoviePass’ website and the company says it will publish its daily lists at least a week in advance. The schedules available now, which run through August 26th, list seven movie options each day but the site notes that all movie titles, not just the limited selection, are available at e-ticketing locations.

    Darth Lowe’s Quote On The Latest MoviePass Update

    When we called MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe about the Latest MoviePass update, his only response was “ I have altered the deal, pray I don’t alter it any further”. OK then… This deal is getting worse all the time. Whilst I know there is a big transition to be made to salvage this service I have become addicted to, MP seems to just be cutting any reasonable reason to keep the service. Making it only appealing to indie movie lovers that frequently visit the theater. It’s unfortunate but where I live any Wes Anderson movie is considered indie and can barely get a screen.

    Wall Street has largely pulled the plug on the company, which in late July attempted to increase its price. They are trying to avert being delisted from the Nasdaq with a reverse 250-to-1 stock split. The unshuted plummet continues anyways. The shares at close Thursday down 6.5 percent at 3 cents. Earlier this week, shareholders of MoviePass’ parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics filed a lawsuit against the company claiming “there was no reasonable basis to even imply that the MoviePass business model could lead to profitability.”

    The Final Thought

    Much like me you are very disappointed by this latest MoviePass Update and have decided to cancel your subscription. You think let them work out the issues and come back when they are ready for you right? Wrong. I was greeted with a new lovely message. This is informing me that if I cancel I will not be able to resubscribe for 9 months. In 9 Months the next MoviePass like subscription, impregnated by MoviePass itself, will be ready for birth. Make sense soon MoviePass, The Emperor will not be as forgiving as I am.

  • Moviepass on Life Support

    Moviepass on Life Support

    First off I want to give a big thank you to Moviepass . Thanks to you its been a terrific summer at the movies. I have seen everything I could stomach to sit through. Yes I even saw Oceans 8. Going through my history in the Moviepass app I checked in and saw 52 movies since I signed up in March. It was a test just to write an article and I fell in love with watching movies in the theater again. I even found myself going out of my way to visit the towns older theaters that I used to frequent as a child just for nostalgia purposes. I can truly say it was a great summer at the movies thanks to movie pass.

    52 movies in 5 months, at an avg. ticket price of $10 Moviepass paid $520 for me so far and I only shelled out $50 for the 5 month subscription. That is probably why Moviepass is on life support right now. We have seen the stock verse split in the past week for a 1:250 reverse, Only to watch that crash again. Shutdowns, crashes and failures on the user end. We are watching the deep a dying breath of Moviepass.

    Is it time to give up? Cancel my subscription? Go back to paying for each movie I want to see? Not a chance, like it or not Moviepass has changed things. There is no going back and theater subscriptions are the business model of the future. The industry was taking a down turn for the first time in a 100 years and Moviepass breathed new life back in to it. THey will have to pry my Moviepass card from my cold dying hands…

    Is There Any Hope?

    While it is looking very dark and there seems to be no chance of pulling out of this nose dive they are in now Moviepass is still clinging to life. They have been working on a cash shortage situation and a way to make this subscription turn a profit. They have in emergency fashion cut a lot of the options from the app. You can no longer see new release movies and some Movie times are just not available. They are in the process of raising the price to $14.95 monthly. I did a quick rundown on the math, with my usage its still highly advantageous for me. $74.95 for $520 worth of movie visits.

    The only way this can work is if the theaters and studios start to see the impact Moviepass has had and can start using Moviepass to their advantage making it worth wild to subsidize the ticket cost for them. The price will obviously have to increase. $19.95 would be optimal if they can find a way to even make that profitable. Another option is to use the app to show movie trailers and gaining user interest through there. Have the app play an Ad for a trailer of an upcoming movie upon checking in to the app. Maybe even a 1-5 rating question of how likely are you to see this movie. Giving valuable user input of 5 million subscribers could be a nice barging chip for them.

    The Final Moviepass Thought

    I’m all in on Moviepass and I’m really hoping it finds a way through this organizational pivot. Pivot they must, but I keep going back to the early days of Netflix when they disrupted the video rental industry.” They don’t charge late fees and the expense of using the mail system will break them”, on pivot and here we are. Hold strong movie pass, and for all of you debating on whether to cancel your subscription, stay tuned for my next article “ 5 reasons to keep Moviepass this fall”

  • Moviepass Updates

    Moviepass Updates

    MoviePass has revolutionized the Theater and Movie industry in the last year. From a mere 20,000 subscribers last summer to just tipping in at over 3 million in a year. This isn’t a good idea or novel service. No this is a revolution to a tanking industry. For years where have heard movie studios complain that people aren’t opting in for theaters instead utilizing their home theater system and attendance is down. Well now 3 million people are subscribe to unlimited trips to the movie theaters. The Tides are changing and Moviepass is leading the way.

    We have all heard the stories that Moviepass is failing. Its going broke and its not a sustainable venture. This will blossom, Movie theaters and studios are going to have to vi for movie passes 3 million theater goes. Concessions will be made, and also consumed. This will bring about a surge of independent movies that 3 million people will go to just because they can.

    We know hates will hate, and much like Mel Gibson, Moviepass poses a threat to the age old movie business. Well adapt or die. With each change or update we see a slew of bad media. Lets take a quick look that Moviepass’s latest subscription changes

    MoviePass Surge Pricing.

    MoviePass told customers that its Peak Pricing model will trigger whenever there is a lot of demand for a movie or showtime. For example, a subscriber who wants to see a popular evening showing of the latest “Avengers” movie might be warned by the MoviePass app that he or she will have to pay a few extra dollars to book a ticket.

    Moviegoers will also be told when a particular showtime does not yet have an added fee, but is growing in demand and could have one soon, according to an email sent to customers.

    We have yet to see what these price hikes will be but they don’t scare me. Moviepass is saving me a lot of money we can all spare a few bucks back if urgency to see a movie hits.

    “Peak Pricing goes into effect when there’s high demand for a movie or showtime,” MoviePass told subscribers. “You may be asked to pay a small additional fee depending on the level of demand. You can avoid the surcharge by selecting a different showtime or movie. Over the coming weeks we’ll also be introducing Peak Pass, which will allow you to waive one peak fee per month.”

    Bring a Friend and Premium IMAX and 3D Movies

    The company is also planning to roll out two new features later in the summer: a bring-a-friend option, which the company has been toying with for some time, and a premium price option to see movies in IMAX or Real 3D.

    With bring-a-friend, there will be an option on the app for  subscribers to add a ticket for a moviegoer who doesn’t have MoviePass. That added ticket will cost “somewhere near the retail price of the ticket,” Lowe said. The app will allow the MoviePass user to choose a seat for both people if assigned seating is available in a theater.

    The Final Thought

    I have just one last thing to say for all you opportunist, Helios and Matheson Analytics, Moviepass parent company is trading at just  $0.18 per share today. Moviepass will pop, just like the popcorn at the theater.

  • You Need a MoviePass Subscription for Summer

    You Need a MoviePass Subscription for Summer

    Moviepass is an incredible deal, if you don’t have one already you are really missing out. Yes, there are many arguably nonsensical reasons not to get one. Its too good to be true, I heard their investment company is running out of money,I don’t like that they know what movie im going to go see, I cant reserve my seat in advance, yes yes all barley valid points not to have a once in a life time opportunity for an  all you can see movie theater pass.

    What about the “They don’t make anymore good Movies any more” reason? Well we all know we are going to see Deadpool, Solo, Jurassic World 2 and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, But here are the Top 5 movies out this summer that you wouldn’t pay to go see in the theaters, but should probably go see in the theaters, and could see for free with your Moviepass, so go see them Movies..

    1.Christopher Robin

    Disney’s new take on Winnie the Pooh, titled simply Christopher Robin, from director Marc Forster. Ewan McGregor stars in this as a working-class family man in London. He re-encounters his childhood friend Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life. The main cast includes Hayley Atwell, Mark Gatiss, Adrian Scarborough, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, and Paul Chahidi. For the voices: Jim Cummings as Winnie-the-Pooh, Chris O’Dowd as Tigger, Toby Jones as Owl, Peter Capaldi as Rabbit, Sophie Okonedo as Kanga, and Nick Mohammed as Piglet. This teaser only introduces us to Pooh, with more characters to come. This comparison is going to upset a few of you, but this kind of reminds me of Hook – a grumpy guy revisits his past to discover happiness again.

     

    2.Hereditary

    A24 has revealed another  acclaimed horror film , Hereditary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This movie  focuses on the Charlie, the young daughter in the film, played by Milly Shapiro . From writer/director Ari Aster, Hereditary is about a close family that starts to unravel following the death of their reclusive grandmother. As an overwhelming terror takes over their household, their peaceful existence is ripped apart, forcing their mother to explore a darker realm in order to escape the unfortunate fate they’ve inherited.

    Toni Collette stars, along with Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd, and Zachary Arthur. This film is incredible, and will be one of the big breakout horror hits this year, for sure. Don’t miss it when it comes to your local cinema – it’s not only terrifying to watch, but an extremely impressive film between performances and cinematography and script.

     

    3.Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

    Just this trailer will make you tear up, then also remind you how important and wonderful goodness and happiness are. Focus Features has revealed a documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, made by Oscar-winning doc filmmaker Morgan Neville. This is more than just a profile of the late Fred Rogers, known best as Mr. Rogers – it’s a wonderful look at how a man tried to make the world better by figuring out how to speak to kids and teach them the importance of compassion and understanding and helpfulness.

    This premiered to glowing reviews at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Someone wrote about it: “This is the documentary we all need right now. It’s a heartwarming, rousing film about how goodness makes an impact in society. It shows us that we can make a difference if we help someone else, if we support them, and believe in them, and remind them that they are perfect just they way they are.” You have to see it.

    4.Tag

    “You never know when someone’s going to pop up.” And… you’re it! Warner Bros has finally getting us excited for the  summer comedy movie Tag, based on the true story of a massive game of Tag that a few guys have been playing every year since they were kids. The game is so competitive, so intense, that people will fly all around the country just to not be the one who is “it”. Yeah, it’s crazy.

    The movie is about a small group of former classmates who organize the elaborate, annual game. With a rockin’ cast: Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Annabelle Wallis, Rashida Jones, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb, Hannibal Buress, with Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner. As fun as this looks, it is actually going to have anything to say, or just: hey, be as crazy as you can, because why not have fun. You know you will enjoy this film and you also know you wont spend $15 to find out how much… Moviepass

    5.Alpha

    An enemy will become an ally.” Sony Pictures’ epic new action thriller titled Alpha, formerly known as The Solutrean. This is the latest feature film from Albert Hughes, who last directed The Book of Eli in 2010, and it’s set during the last Ice Age – 20,000 years ago (kind of like Emmerich’s 10,000 BC). This epic adventure follows the story of Zeta, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, a young man injured on a bison hunt left for dead. He befriends a lone wolf and together they figure out how to survive in this harsh environment. So basically it’s The Revenant meets 10,000 BC. The full cast includes Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Mercedes de la Zerda, and Jens Hultén. The Wolves look so cool, Im looking forward to this one…fo free!! Moviepass.

    The Final MoviePass Thought

    I know you know Im making sense. You are right now thinking, I would not have planned to see any of these in the theater but with a Moviepass subscription I will go check theses out. This right here is what is going to turn Moviepass to the next big Netflix. Im mean come on, one of these movies has John Hamm in it…and im going to see all of them for less then half of the big blockbusters I was going to see anyways. Happy summer at the movies for me.

  • MoviePass Is Back

    MoviePass Is Back

    A few weeks ago MoviePass tried to quietly downgrade its movie theater subscription service to a limit of 3 movie per month. Thankfully MoviePass has come to their senses and went  back to its old one-movie-per-day plan. CEO Mitch Lowe now says the subscription service is “absolutely committed” to keeping it that way. This is Good News and just in time for summer.

    Now there are still some updates to their Unlimited plan. From now on including those of us on the former unlimited movie plan, we are only able to use the movie pass once per movie. I found this out the hard way when I tried to see Infinity war for the second time. This hurts, I was planning on seeing Solo everyday for an entire month..

    This isn’t the first time we have seen MoviePass make updates, tweak or change their plans. Actually the only constant in the MoviePass subscription plan is that it is ever evolving. We know the company is hemorrhaging money as they struggle to make the brilliance of bringing folks back to the theaters a profitable venture. Do you all remember the plan from last fall, the annual subscription plan for $89.95 upfront, which worked out to a lower monthly fee, but didn’t allow users to ask for refunds.

    The 3 movie a month plan is still available for $7.95 with the Iheartradio promotion, if you want to save that $2 a month. Its not a horrible plan either, how many good movies a month come out that you want to see.

    The Final Thought

    MoviePass is on to something here, people are talking about. Not in a negative way either. They are making noise, alot in the way Netflix did early in the millennia. Something is telling me the movie theater business model may end up molding to MoviePass subscription base. Ill continue to keep an eye on this and update you when necessary in the mean time their stock is trading at less then $3 a share, like Netflix did early in the millennia

  • MoviePass is Raising Prices and Lowering Movie Tickets Per Month

    MoviePass is Raising Prices and Lowering Movie Tickets Per Month

    Big-time movie fans were amazed and thrilled when a concept called MoviePass was first launched. For a single payment of $89.95 upfront, or $7.50 a month, a MoviePass customer could see one movie a day for a one-year subscription. For someone who sees multiple movies a month, or who wishes they could if the normal ticket prices were cheaper, MoviePass was a perfect solution.

    Sadly, MoviePass is Changing their Game—Fast

    The annual price of $89.95 is no more. New subscribers will now be required to pay $9.95 a month, and that won’t get them the amazing one-movie-per-day deal. Instead, $9.95 a month will give them only four movie tickets per month.

    In addition, MoviePass will now require customers to pay for their subscriptions in chunks of three months at a time upfront.

    The Changes to MoviePass May be Permanent

    The CEO of MoviePass Mitch Lowe said that he isn’t sure if the “unlimited” plan will ever come back.

    MoviePass is also now requiring customers to see different movies with each ticket. MoviePass says, “We hope this will encourage you to see new movies and enjoy something different!”

    That policy is immediately problematic and disappointing. Strong fans of certain movies, particularly the big blockbusters, often want to see their beloved movies more than once. Or, if someone wants to go with friends to see a movie they’ve already seen before on their own, they won’t be able to use their MoviePass ticket.

    MoviePass Offers “Consolation Prize”

    In an attempt to make MoviePass customers, or potential customers, feel better, MoviePass has teamed up with iHeartRadio. MoviePass will add a three-month trial of iHeartRadio’s All Access subscription to MoviePass subscribers. This may be welcome to some, but let’s face it, most MoviePass users are excited about movies. There may be some overlap between MoviePass and iHeartRadio, but for many, it won’t sweeten the deal enough to draw in more subscribers.

    Overall, it’s hard to say if MoviePass will be around to stay if people lose interest when the value of their subscription drops.

  • Could This Be the Beginning of the End for MoviePass?

    Could This Be the Beginning of the End for MoviePass?

    Sometimes, a deal sounds too good to be true. That’s how many consumers reacted when MoviePass announced that for just ten bucks a month, you could see one movie a day in the theater. The company reimburses the theater for a full-price ticket every time one of their cardholders sees a movie, and many people wondered how such a business could be profitable.

    Well, it turns out that it might not be.

    Massive Losses and Mistrust

    Despite promises that MoviePass would start turning a profit by 2019, the company has been consistently losing money. In fact, they recently reported a loss of over $150 million—a number that has analysts and investors questioning how much longer the startup can continue.

    The company, which seeks to disrupt the movie theater industry much the same way that Netflix changed the way we consume television, has suggested that they will earn revenue from partnerships with major theater chains and movie distributors.

    However, there has been concern that despite their assurances, MoviePass is also selling information about its subscribers. In March of 2018, CEO Mitch Lowe made an offhand remark about tracking users on their way to and from the theater using GPS data. He later clarified that the app doesn’t actively track your phone, but that it can suggest restaurants located near the theater where you checked in for your movie.

    A Turbulent History and Uncertain Future

    When it originally hit the market in 2011, MoviePass charged nearly $50 for a monthly subscription. They tinkered with the pricing model several times, but it seemed that when they dropped the fee to $9.99, they’d finally found the winning number. The company reported an influx of over 2 million subscribers after debuting the cheaper monthly price in 2017.

    Now, however, it seems as though MoviePass may be considering another dramatic change. While current cardholders are still able to see a movie a day, the only subscription currently offered to new subscribers caps the number tickets at 4 per month. New subscribers also receive a 3-month trial subscription to iHeartRadio’s streaming radio service, but that hardly makes up for the limits imposed by the new model. There’s no word yet whether MoviePass will eventually cap all subscribers.

  • Its a Deal with MoviePass

    Its a Deal with MoviePass

    MoviePass is an American subscription-based movie ticketing service. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in New York City, the service allows subscribers to purchase a single movie ticket per day for a flat subscription fee per month

     

    The Great

    • Terrific value
    • great interface and useabilty
    • Very Convenient
    • Unlimited Movies

    The Not

    • No New Releases
    • 2d standard movies only
    • You have to pay the full year up front

    The Conclusion

    I wish they had this when I was growing up, It would have been my wildest dream to have an unlimited movie ticket to the theater around the corner. Today, its def the worth the $8 a month.  I no longer need to pirate new movies and the headaches that come with that are long gone.

    The Movie Pass Experience

    Once you sign up, right now they are offering $7.95 a month rates, they will send you a credit card. You simply use your phones app to find the movie you want and reserve your ticket. Then head to the movies, when you get close to the theater you will get an alert your card is active. You then use the card to purchase your reserved ticket. Easy peasy.

    I don’t get to the movies as much as I used to and I’ve never been one to go to a theater alone. This made me a little apprehensive of the deal, but I decided to sign up after seeing how beneficial Moviepass can be.  After using it for the last month I have enjoyed the experience so much I thought I would give you my own thoughts. Moviepass is kind of like the Netflix of movie theater going.  You pay a flat fee and then you can see as many 2D movies as you want during the month.  The catch is you can only see 1 movie every 24 hours.  You could still easily see 25-30 movies a month if you so choose.

     

    Loop Holes

    So I thought I would look for weaknesses in the Movie Pass logistics. First up was using the card to purchase concessions, it worked with no issues but then declined when I bought my ticket. So I decided to reserve my ticket for the day before and pick it up, then book another ticket for the day Im going to the movies but use the previous days ticket. Thus making my card valid for concession purchases. So far its a lot of leg work but it works.

    I also thought it would be good to get a second pass so I could take who ever else with me to the theater, but apparently this is frowned upon and they will disable your account. I don’t know how they would every figure it out though. Again so far so good.

    Some have also reported that you can only see a movie one time with Moviepass.  This is not the case you can go to the same movie multiple times, at least that is my personal experience.

    The Final Thought

    It hasn’t quite been 30 days for me yet but I have gone to 4 movies.  The first 3 cost $5.99 per ticket and the 4th one was $9.99.  So I have gotten $27.96 in value out of my $7.99 monthly fee. I find Im going to the movies more because I can and seeing movies I would otherwise skip entirely. All in all its been a good experience its a must have for any movie buff, and a great investment for the casual movie goer. Im hoping this becomes adoptive and saves the movie theater platform. Being a catalyst for Studios to produce more movies for us to go to the theaters for.