AMC A-List & other theater subscriptions (3 Viewers)

[benbess]

Saw Only the Brave today with MoviePass. Intense. Needed my tissues at the end. Good movie imho.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Signed up on October 13th and received my card today (23rd). 10 day turnaround seems pretty good. Will try it out this weekend. Looking ofrward to seeing how this works.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Got one for my wife also. We used it this afternoon to view Happy Death Day. Pretty good flick with some interesting twists. Will go tomorrow to see The Foreigner.

The Pass worked as advertised. Liking this so far.

 

[benbess]

My mp film today was The Mountain Between Us, a so-so survival/romance drama, starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. It has some good cinematography at times, and the performances were ok, but the screenplay was somehow lacking in both realism and humor for me. And the chemistry of the romance part didn't quite work for me. Some good went into this movie, but it didn't quite come together imho.

But I knew going in that it had gotten mixed reviews, and I wanted a distraction after getting through with a work project. And for c. $1 I didn't really think about my work for 2 hours, and so it was worth it in that sense....

 

[Doug Wallen]

Saw The Foreigner last night with mp. Pretty good flick. Nice to see something different from Jackie Chan. Pierce Brosnan was also very good in his role. Bout time he got to use something close to a normal accent.

 

[Wayne_j]

Just got back from using MoviePass to see The Nightmare Before Christmas which for some reason was playing as a standard non-premium 2D engagement.

 

[benbess]

Could MoviePass be the future of movies?

Discuss.

Here's my 2 cents of speculation....

My guess is there's a chance mp will become the future of movies. I'm already used to seeing movies twice a week instead of twice a month. Right now, I'm loving it at $10, but I'd easily pay double that.

I think of this $10 rate as the promo introductory rate. I could imagine at some point, a la Netflix, they say something like, "Sign up by Dec. 31, before the rate goes up to $12.95 a month! Your rate will be locked in for the next 12 months." That could really start a rush. But it's still such a great deal at $12.95, in a year they could try for $14.95, and so on.

And theaters obviously like to fill their empty seats, and also sell snacks. About half the time I buy some chocolate when I see a mp movie. What if in a year half of their seats are filled with mp customers, and then mp says to the theater, "listen, we need a sustainable long-run model for both of us. For the first ticket a month, we'll give you full price, but ticket #2 we pay 90%, #3 80%, etc." which would cut down on the millions of dollars mp is losing.

And what if, as time goes on, mp starts getting significant ad revenue from movie studios, as well as movie theater chains. Maybe movie pass could even see that you've bought a movie at X theater, and instantly send you a coupon for $1 off an ice cream at the local ice cream parlor, or 5 bucks off a dinner at a local restaurant. What if the local car dealership had a combined promo and said, test drive a car before your movie, and we'll give you a mp coupon good for 5 boxes of chocolate at your local theater over the next month, etc.

Eventually, in the long run, through things like these, is there a chance MoviePass could last for the long run? And, way, way back in the 1940s and 1950s many people went to the movie theater every single week. Maybe mp can bring that kind of frequent movie going back?

 

[Malcolm R]

Sorry, wrong thread.

 

[Tino]

The movie-a-day deal from MoviePass probably won’t last much longer

https://www.avclub.com/the-movie-a-day-deal-from-moviepass-probably-wont-last-1820021545

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I recently got a long "terms of service update" email from them, which, among other things, stated that MoviePass could now only be used to see each title once (instead of the "seeing the same movie as many times as you want as long as it's only once a day") that their Twitter account promised when they signed up. They also threatened fees for not using the card properly - for instance, if you use the app to buy a ticket and the purchase doesn't match up exactly with what you selected on the app and they find out, they could charge you a $25 fee for this offense. (As an example, let's say you selected the "4:15pm" showing of a movie on the app, but when you arrive at the theater, it's sold out, so you buy a ticket to the "4:30pm" instead - according to MoviePass, this is now something to be penalized.) Additionally, if you cancel you service, you are not allowed to resubscribe for nine months.

This fine print is really turning me off. I haven't used my pass as much as I thought I might, partially because it doesn't work at some of the theaters I visit, partially because I prefer premium formats like IMAX and 3D to standard 2D, and partially because even if the cost of the movie ticket is taken care of, it turns out the time cost of leaving the house, round trip transportation, etc., doesn't always pay. Yesterday was a perfect example. My wife mentioned that "Happy Death Day" looked fun and would be a good choice for Halloween and I agreed, we thought it was the perfect choice for a Moviepass use. Discussed it Monday night, thought about going on Tuesday. Tuesday came around (it was basically our Sunday for this week), and by the time we finished household chores, laundry, food shopping, and all of that stuff, neither of us really felt like going out. It didn't matter that it was "free". And it's not the theater industry's fault that the NYC public transportation system is in such a state of disrepair that trips that took 20 minutes a couple years ago now take 45. But that's the reality we live with, and we didn't feel like a 90 minute round trip to see a 90 minute movie, particularly when nothing about the movie or the theater it was playing at demanded that it be seen that way. I've had the card since the beginning of September, and I've used it twice. I honestly thought I'd be using it more.

Heck, I'm probably the ideal MP customer at this point, as far as MP is concerned - I pay up but don't really use it. I keep seeing an ad in my Facebook for a service that's $4.99 a month, and allows you up to two tickets for any IMAX, 3D or any other type of regular or premium ticket available. That might be more up my alley. But then I run into the other problem, which is that all of these services are for same-day sales only, and my preference is to see a film on its opening night, where the best seats have been reserved days, weeks or months in advance.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

I recently got a long "terms of service update" email from them, which, among other things, stated that MoviePass could now only be used to see each title once (instead of the "seeing the same movie as many times as you want as long as it's only once a day") that their Twitter account promised when they signed up. They also threatened fees for not using the card properly - for instance, if you use the app to buy a ticket and the purchase doesn't match up exactly with what you selected on the app and they find out, they could charge you a $25 fee for this offense. (As an example, let's say you selected the "4:15pm" showing of a movie on the app, but when you arrive at the theater, it's sold out, so you buy a ticket to the "4:30pm" instead - according to MoviePass, this is now something to be penalized.) Additionally, if you cancel you service, you are not allowed to resubscribe for nine months.

This fine print is really turning me off. I haven't used my pass as much as I thought I might, partially because it doesn't work at some of the theaters I visit, partially because I prefer premium formats like IMAX and 3D to standard 2D, and partially because even if the cost of the movie ticket is taken care of, it turns out the time cost of leaving the house, round trip transportation, etc., doesn't always pay. Yesterday was a perfect example. My wife mentioned that "Happy Death Day" looked fun and would be a good choice for Halloween and I agreed, we thought it was the perfect choice for a Moviepass use. Discussed it Monday night, thought about going on Tuesday. Tuesday came around (it was basically our Sunday for this week), and by the time we finished household chores, laundry, food shopping, and all of that stuff, neither of us really felt like going out. It didn't matter that it was "free". And it's not the theater industry's fault that the NYC public transportation system is in such a state of disrepair that trips that took 20 minutes a couple years ago now take 45. But that's the reality we live with, and we didn't feel like a 90 minute round trip to see a 90 minute movie, particularly when nothing about the movie or the theater it was playing at demanded that it be seen that way. I've had the card since the beginning of September, and I've used it twice. I honestly thought I'd be using it more.

Heck, I'm probably the ideal MP customer at this point, as far as MP is concerned - I pay up but don't really use it. I keep seeing an ad in my Facebook for a service that's $4.99 a month, and allows you up to two tickets for any IMAX, 3D or any other type of regular or premium ticket available. That might be more up my alley. But then I run into the other problem, which is that all of these services are for same-day sales only, and my preference is to see a film on its opening night, where the best seats have been reserved days, weeks or months in advance.

The "see a movie only once" rule was lifted long ago, yet they still haven't removed it from the TOS. Mitch Lowe confirmed again yesterday that the rule no longer exists. Why they can't seem to get around to taking it out of the fine print when it's not really a rule is just plain sloppy.

I think the new threatened fees for not using the card properly isn't aimed at people like us. My understanding is that there are people out there buying tickets for movies they have no intention of seeing for the purpose of collecting a truckload of rewards points. Personally, my time is more valuable than that but there have been many posts on another forum from guys bragging about all the Regal Crown Points they've accumulated for movies they didn't actually see. The other thing it's aimed at curbing is the practice of buying a ticket for a 2D showing and then going to the box office and exchanging and paying the difference for a 3D or IMAX showing. There have been quite a few people doing that and I think they're trying to find a way to put a stop to it.

I'm not really sure the logic behind making person wait 9 months to sign up again if they cancel. That new rule does puzzle me, but perhaps there's a valid reason behind it.

There is a "Sold Out" button on the app that you can apparently hit in case a show is sold out. This will cancel your reservation and you can make a new one for another show that has seating available. I've never used it, so I can't even tell you where it is, but I know I saw it on there once. I'll pay closer attention next time and see if I can figure out how that works.

It totally makes sense to me why Moviepass doesn't have much value for you. I probably wouldn't use it as much myself if it were that inconvenient from where I live. It works for me because I have 4 big multiplexes within a 15 minute drive. They could raise the price to $15 and I'd still think it was a bargain.

 

[Tino]

I would easily pay $25 a month for this service.

 

[benbess]

Last night with mp I saw the surreal drama All I See Is You, starring Blake Lively. Definitely weird. The parts where better than the whole, but for c. $1 I'm glad I experienced it. Some nice visuals and interesting performances, but as most reviews have said it doesn't quite add up....

http://www.alliseeisyoumovie.com/

Unlike Josh, I'm only a 10-minute drive from a very nice theater with lots of parking. Movie pass is well worth it for me. Seeing a few movies a week in the theater is my new therapy, almost. Zones me into other dimensions, esp. since there are lots of movies, like this one, that I would never see without mp. Horror is another genre I'm dipping into, with films like It and Annabelle. The only problem is now my backlog of unwatched blu-rays is growing.

 

[Brian Kidd]

It has worked without a hitch for me, but I must admit that I haven't had as much time to see films as I thought I would. Turns out the wife and kids actually like to see my face at home. Still, if I only use it twice a month, it has more than paid for itself.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The "see a movie only once" rule was lifted long ago, yet they still haven't removed it from the TOS. Mitch Lowe confirmed again yesterday that the rule no longer exists. Why they can't seem to get around to taking it out of the fine print when it's not really a rule is just plain sloppy.

I honestly think it's there because they may plan to enforce it one day. Mitch Lowe can say that it's not part of the rules, but at the same time, they just sent out a brand new TOS yesterday or the day before, asking that it be read and acknowledged in its entirety. I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but I think they wanted to reserve the right to tamp down on that if, say, someone who used their pass twice a month started going to see Star Wars a dozen times. Do I expect it to be done? Not necessarily. But I don't think it's an accident that they're leaving that door open.

My understanding is that there are people out there buying tickets for movies they have no intention of seeing for the purpose of collecting a truckload of rewards points. Personally, my time is more valuable than that but there have been many posts on another forum from guys bragging about all the Regal Crown Points they've accumulated for movies they didn't actually see. The other thing it's aimed at curbing is the practice of buying a ticket for a 2D showing and then going to the box office and exchanging and paying the difference for a 3D or IMAX showing.

I can't imagine going to the theater either just to collect tickets that I'm not using for points. My time is more valuable than that too. I suppose if I literally lived next door to a theater, but still... I guess I'm just not wired to be wasteful in that way. (I can find plenty of other ways to be wasteful, I'm not perfect.) I had never thought about buying a 2D ticket and exchanging/paying the difference for 3D or IMAX. I'm not sure how Moviepass could actually verify that but it's a clever idea. But, like I've said before, I don't want to be clever - I'd gladly just pay for those options as part of a Moviepass subscription if they ever offered it.

It totally makes sense to me why Moviepass doesn't have much value for you. I probably wouldn't use it as much myself if it were that inconvenient from where I live. It works for me because I have 4 big multiplexes within a 15 minute drive. They could raise the price to $15 and I'd still think it was a bargain.

I still think it's a bargain, albeit one I haven't used as much as I thought. Ugh, the New York City infrastructure is just a mess right now. When I moved into my apartment in 2014, that location was picked because door to door, I was twenty minutes away from work. The subway system has fallen into such a state of disrepair that that same commute on the same route now routinely takes 45 minutes or more - today it took about an hour and fifteen minutes. My closest movie theater was ten minutes away, until station closures turned that quick subway ride into a 30-45 minute walk, and the cluster of theaters I most enjoy visiting went from being 20-30 minutes away to being 45-90 minutes away. It's the kind of thing that's just killing my desire to do anything on a whim these days. I have no problem buying an IMAX 3D ticket in advance and making an advance plan to see the movie (for instance, I'm seeing the new Thor movie tonight after work - the theater is relatively close to the office, the IMAX screen is well-maintained and should be a quality presentation). But it's harder to justify the time cost to see a movie that may or may not be good in a theater that may or may not be good (but will likely not be outstanding) when watching a movie at home is such a quality affair compared to the VHS days. I think if Moviepass had come out while I was still in college, I would have used it almost every day. If it would have come out during the recession when I was unemployed for a while, I would have used it almost every day. Today, real life gets in the way of my moviegoing, and it's kind of a bummer!

 

[Jeff Adkins]

I honestly think it's there because they may plan to enforce it one day. Mitch Lowe can say that it's not part of the rules, but at the same time, they just sent out a brand new TOS yesterday or the day before, asking that it be read and acknowledged in its entirety. I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but I think they wanted to reserve the right to tamp down on that if, say, someone who used their pass twice a month started going to see Star Wars a dozen times. Do I expect it to be done? Not necessarily. But I don't think it's an accident that they're leaving that door open.

They updated the TOS again yesterday and removed that language. Hopefully, that'll be the end of it. We'll see.

I can't imagine going to the theater either just to collect tickets that I'm not using for points. My time is more valuable than that too. I suppose if I literally lived next door to a theater, but still... I guess I'm just not wired to be wasteful in that way. (I can find plenty of other ways to be wasteful, I'm not perfect.)

I can't imagine doing it either, but I've seen enough posts about it to know that people are doing it. One of the tricks frequently mentioned is to go see a late movie around 10:00 or so that will be over after midnight. Since the calendar day has changed when the movie lets out, they check in for another film the next morning and go over to the kiosk and buy it with their MP card. Again, that kind of thing just seems silly to me, but apparently some people are motivated by free popcorn.

I had never thought about buying a 2D ticket and exchanging/paying the difference for 3D or IMAX. I'm not sure how Moviepass could actually verify that but it's a clever idea. But, like I've said before, I don't want to be clever - I'd gladly just pay for those options as part of a Moviepass subscription if they ever offered it.

It's apparently being offered in 2 test markets right now (I can't remember which cities). It's called Moviepass Premium and is $19.99 for unlimited movies including 3D and IMAX. If they ever roll that out nationally, I will likely upgrade to this option.

Ugh, the New York City infrastructure is just a mess right now. When I moved into my apartment in 2014, that location was picked because door to door, I was twenty minutes away from work. The subway system has fallen into such a state of disrepair that that same commute on the same route now routinely takes 45 minutes or more - today it took about an hour and fifteen minutes. My closest movie theater was ten minutes away, until station closures turned that quick subway ride into a 30-45 minute walk, and the cluster of theaters I most enjoy visiting went from being 20-30 minutes away to being 45-90 minutes away.

I wasn't aware of these issues. Is there any progress being made or is this the new normal? It seems crazy to me as someone who used to ride into Penn Station every day from Nassau County and it was a 39 minute ride. I can't imagine living in the city and still having those kind of commute times.

 

[TonyD]

I #moviepassed Goodbye Christopher Robin today.

I really loved it.
The movie version of CR was a childhood hero of sorts for me when I was very young and for my confirmation name I chose Christopher.
So this movie hit me right in the feels every time he and Milne revealed a reason why they named each of the animals.
It was truly a very manipulative movie with every intention of bringing on the waterworks and it worked on me and my wife.

Recommended

 

[TonyD]

Btw we bought tickets at regal once even though we didn’t have time to see the movie.
We gave them to someone so they didn’t go to waste.

Regale reward points don’t teally get you much more than discounts on popcorn and a drink.
There are rewards you can buy with the points but most of the low pint items are sold out quickly and the rest need a ridiculous number of points for redemption.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I wasn't aware of these issues. Is there any progress being made or is this the new normal? It seems crazy to me as someone who used to ride into Penn Station every day from Nassau County and it was a 39 minute ride. I can't imagine living in the city and still having those kind of commute times.

The governor recently declared a state of emergency for the whole MTA system so that may help long term, but short and medium term it's gonna suck. The short version is that the system is running on equipment from the 1920s, it needs a trillion dollars in repairs, and every year they throw a few billion at it doing mostly cosmetic stuff. It's so bad there's now a form online you can fill out to have a notification sent to you so you can show your bosses that it wasn't your fault for being late. Since my boss is stuck in the same system, he knows how bad it is and never once has complained about me being late. So I'm inconvenienced frequently but never completely screwed. I know I complain but others have it worse. I think either the city or state did a survey and found that each month, the delays cost employers and employees several hundred million dollars in lost wages and productivity.

One of the recent times I went out to the suburbs to see my folks, we just drove to a theater out there and it took all of ten minutes! I miss that!

I do *want* to use my card more!

 

[benbess]

My mp movie tonight was Goodbye Christopher Robin. Good movie imho....