MoviePass: Trial and Error, and Error, and Error…
Article by Ray Schillaci
As of this time, Monday, August 27th, attempting to use my MoviePass at the Edwards Valencia 12 while there are currently twelve films playing, MP is only giving me the lackluster choice of seeing The Happytime Murders, which has received a dismal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. Never mind that it offered the latest Mission: Impossible film and Alpha yesterday. Now, as far as two screenings, they are not two separate screenings, but two screenings of the same disastrous Melissa McCarthy film I don’t want to see.
Couple this with the Thursday, July 26th blackout when no one could use their app, because MoviePass had no money and had to secure a $6.2M payday loan to resuscitate and cover “merchant and fulfillment processors”, continuing with sudden additional fees for practically every movie released, a data tracking scandal, customers having their app stall because MoviePass insists they send a photo of the ticket stub of the last film seen (when on earth does anyone save their ticket stubs?) – all the while CEO Mitch Lowe finding customers shouting, how low can you go?
The promise was off the table. Customer service out the window, and the CEO was still out there urging people to go down with the ship while he’s the one ramming it into the iceberg. Originally, the whole idea sounded like a cinephile’s pipe dream. $9.95 a month for a movie a day. A far cry from the company’s beginnings.
When my pal Paul Preston (founder of TheMovieGuys.net) first approached me about MoviePass in 2016, I was hesitant. To those who live, eat, and breathe film, $50 a month to see unlimited movies seemed like a good deal. But, I could not get past the idea of spending half that price or less for a premium cable station or streaming network. TheMovieGuys.net was an affiliate advertiser for MoviePass with an MP presence on their homepage and it seemed like a viable moviegoing choice. Just not for me…until…their monumental announcement in 2017…”a movie a day for only $9.95!”
Suddenly, MoviePass became every movie lovers dream come true, and some theater chains nightmare. They even provided discounts for those who would take advantage over their special “annual” price. But, before the promises rolled out, the AMC theater chain bucked the upstart and threatened them in court.
Once MoviePass introduced its new price policy and had a dramatic increase in subscriptions, it was reported by people (not authorized to comment), they became greedy, not only demanding $3.00 per ticket sold with its app from the theater chains, but also seeking 20% of concession sales from them. That, as many of us know, is how movie chains make their money. AMC saw the writing on the wall from the very beginning. Their initial reaction to MP was that “the startup’s model was unsustainable and could do long-term harm to the film industry.” We can only hope that the second part does not hold true.
CEO Mitch Lowe is already having his people apologize for the glut of glitches, and is trying to reassure all that if they’ll weather the storm, customers will soon find rainbows and unicorns with the empty promise being handed to them. If that does not work, those canceling are subjected to a dire lashing out by the company warning customers if they change their mind, then MoviePass will instate a nine month penalty before said customer can return (providing MoviePass is still in business). Of course, if that does not work, some former customers are now complaining that MoviePass is still charging their credit card after they’ve canceled them!
At this time, my family, friends, and I have canceled our MoviePass and will be checking our credit card statements to ensure that Mitch Lowe’s company does not continue to charge for a service no longer welcomed. A service no longer profitable enough to work with as an advertising affiliate. A service that has been better replaced by AMC Stubs A-List, Movie Club, and Sinemia, all offering to be less expensive and with better service. MoviePass. Going, going, soon to be gone.
