MoviePass and Other Cinema Subscription Services

[stevewhamola]

MoviePass changed the passwords of heavy users among other shady practices.

Appears to be a summary of this Business Insider article on their demise, which is behind a pay wall but I'll certainly pony up to read.

Pro tip: If you save the page as HTML only, it bypasses the paywall and you can read the article for free.

[Brian C]

Yeah, they were pretty obviously a fraudulent enterprise once M:I rolled around. Gotta keep an eye out for any company who hires Lowe from here out in order to steer clear.

[Big Ben]

Thousands of MoviePass customers’ credit card numbers were exposed online. Thought it might be relevant to mention to some of you just in case. Big yikes if they let security fall to the wayside due to their money issues.

[cdnchris]

You know what I always find funny (well, aggravating) with shit like this, where its just exposed: it is not hard to encrypt data and then decrypt it for use. Like, at all. Just lets me know the level of talent they had.

[DarkImbecile]

Goodnight, my sweet, stupid, fraudulent prince... 10 of our 12 months together were glorious.

[mfunk9786]

It really was something of a golden era of going to the movies while the service was working. I loved using it. Of course, nothing gold can stay.

[tenia]

Remind me : don't you have multiplex unlimited passes in the US ? Like "pay $20 per month to see as many movies you like" ?

[hearthesilence]

How much is it to see films in Europe? It's quite a bit more than the U.S. (even more than NYC where it's especially expensive) isn't it? I saw a few in London over ten years ago and I recall it being almost $20, though that was with a 2:1 dollar to pound exchange rate.

[mfunk9786]

Remind me : don't you have multiplex unlimited passes in the US ? Like "pay $20 per month to see as many movies you like" ?

That was pretty much the result of MoviePass, yes. But they're broken down by multiplex, you have to choose your preference and can't use the service elsewhere. What made MoviePass so great for the brief period of time it was working is that it could be used at indie/art house theaters too, especially after they made a deal with Landmark Theaters so their tickets were integrated with the app and very easy to obtain. But yes, I am certainly not complaining about spending $22 per month to see almost every first run movie I want at the Regal a 10 minute drive down the highway.

[tenia]

UK prices aren't representative of European prices. In France, you have 20€/month unlimited cards for many big chains, while smaller theaters tickets can cost down to 5€ per movie (avg is 6.5€ per movie). And I think France are the most expensive tickets.

[hearthesilence]

Turns out I knew someone who was still on MoviePass and it “worked” at Film Forum, as long as you checked in elsewhere. It really worked like a regular credit card.