MoviePass

MoviePass
Private
Industry Film, Entertainment, Technology
Founded 2011
Founder Stacy Spikes, Hamet Watt
Headquarters New York City, United States
Area served
 United States
Key people
  • Mitch Lowe (CEO)
Website http://www.moviepass.com

MoviePass is a subscription-based service for going to movie theaters available in the United States. The service gives members across the country the ability to see up to one 2D movie every 24 hours for a fixed monthly fee. Members may choose which theaters they wish to attend and there are no “blackout dates”. Prices vary by local market and start at $14 per month.

MoviePass was launched in February 2011 and is headquartered in New York City.[1] It is backed by major investors including True Ventures, AOL Ventures, WME, NaLa Pictures, Lambert Media, Brian Lee, Diego Berdakin, MJ Eng, Ryan Steelberg, and Adam Lilling.[2]

History

MoviePass was founded in 2011 by technology and entertainment entrepreneurs Stacy Spikes and Hamet Watt. The company launched in beta in June 2011 in San Francisco, but during initial trials the company received some resistance[3] from movie theater chains and paused both the service and the introduction of new members until later in the year.

From September 2011 to September 2012 MoviePass operated on a voucher system where members could print a voucher on their home computer and redeem it in participating theaters for a movie ticket.

In October 2012, the company introduced a new proprietary location-based payment technology, and provides a secure and independent way for MoviePass members to purchase tickets.[4]

In December 2014, AMC theaters piloted a partnership for a subscription movie service with MoviePass in select theaters in Boston and Denver.[5]

In June 2016, MoviePass announced that Mitch Lowe, a founding team member at Netflix as well as the former President and COO of Redbox, has been named Chief Executive Officer. Lowe has been an advisor to the company since 2014.[6]

In July 2016, the company unveiled new plans with prices starting at $15 a month [7]

In August 2016 MoviePass started raising prices for all of their current subscribers.[8]

Service

MoviePass service works via a smartphone app (iPhone, Android) and a specially designed, reloadable debit card, which is mailed to new subscribers when they sign up.

Purchasing a ticket

Members browse theaters and showtimes on the MoviePass app and from it they can select a movie, a theater, and a showtime to attend. In order to purchase a ticket, members must be within 100 yards of the chosen theater. They check-in to the theater via the smartphone app and select their preferred movie and show-time.[9] Once they check-in, their MoviePass debit card is automatically loaded with the exact price of a single ticket for that particular location. The card can then be used like any other form of credit or debit card to purchase a ticket at the theater kiosk or ticket counter.[9]

Theaters Coverage

MoviePass is accepted at more than 3,700 theaters and more than 33,000 screens, accounting for 90% of theaters across the United States, making it among USA’s largest theater networks.[5]

Restrictions

Criticisms and controversies

Heavy-User Plans

Amid changes occurring post naming Mitch Lowe MoviePass CEO and during the company's experimentation with new pricing plans, it was claimed that MoviePass has forced many high-use customers into alternate pricing plans. While this controversial move is said to impact only 10 - 15% of users, they are taking to social media en masse to protest the forced changes. The most common new offers include a $50 plan to see up to 6 movies per month and a $99 unlimited plan. During that time, the company continued to market $30 "unlimited" plans to new customers.

Media coverage

MoviePass has been featured in a wide range of publications including The New York Times,[11] TechCrunch[12] and Variety.[13]

MoviePass was also named as one of the 25 Most Disruptive Apps of 2012 and The Best of Everything in 2012 by Business Insider.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ Hardawar, Devindra. "MoviePass debuts an unlimited movie service that may just save cinemas". VentureBeat
  2. ↑ "MoviePass Company Profile". CrunchBase.
  3. ↑ Fleming, Mike. "AMC Passes On MoviePass". Deadline New York.
  4. ↑ Tuttle, Brad. "MoviePass Goes National: Unlimited Trips to the Movies from $25 Per Month". TIME
  5. 1 2 "MoviePass - AMC Partnership". www.moviepass.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  6. ↑ "MoviePass Names Mitch Lowe Chief Executive Officer". http://www.marketwired.com/. June 28, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016. External link in |website= (help)
  7. ↑ devindra. "MoviePass unveils new prices, starting at $15 a month". Engadget. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  8. 1 2 "A Letter from the MoviePass Team". MoviePass Blog. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  9. 1 2 "MoviePass Service Adds Funds Your Card When You Reach the Theater". PC Magazine
  10. ↑ "MoviePass - Terms and Conditions". www.moviepass.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  11. ↑ Joshua Brustein, "A Movie a Day, Without Going Broke", New York Times, 18 January 2013
  12. ↑ "Why MoviePass Is Bringing Subscription Moviegoing To Theaters". TechCrunch. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Third time's the charm for MoviePass?". Variety. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "The Top 25 Most Disruptive Apps Of 2012 - Business Insider". Business Insider. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "The Best Of Everything In 2012". Business Insider. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
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