MoviePass Woes

I know in the scheme of life, this is just a teeny, weeny tiny problem but I just feel I need to write it down so I am choosing my blog to do so.

In December of last year, I decided to get a membership to MoviePass.  As I have mentioned many, many times, I love going to the movies.  I love watching movies in general, but there is just something special about going to the movie theater.  So I was thrilled to sign up for MoviePass.

Here is what it was - $9.95 / month
See 1 movie per day

Pretty awesome, right?  Now I am no dope. I thought to myself...this is too good to be true - basically I pay the price for 1 movie for the month but I can see 30 movies!  But I figured I would try it and it would last until it lasted.

MoviePass Change 1:
After having it about a month, I received notification that you couldn't see repeat movies. Meaning...if you saw the movie already using MoviePass, then you can't see the same movie again.

No problem for me...first of all, it never occurred to me to go watch the same movie again, when there are so many choices out there and not sure why someone would do that anyway...so no big deal to me.

MoviePass Change 2:
A couple of months later, I received notification that I had to submit a photo of my ticket after I purchased it using MoviePass

While perplexed by this because no reason was given as to why but they did say that if you missed one time, ok but if you missed a 2nd time, then your MoviePass would be canceled and you could never ever sign up to be a MoviePass member ever again during your lifetime.  This was stated as if it was a great enhancement for us...Uh, I don't know how but alrighty.

At first I was worried because the first time I tried to submit a picture, it wouldn't accept it.  I tried about 10 times and it wouldn't accept it but luckily, it finally did.

Again, I thought, while a mild inconvenience, not a big deal, I will take a photo each time and so I did.

MoviePass Change 3:
Again, sent to us as if this was a great thing that we would love because it enhances the movie going experience....there is now going to be "Peak Pricing" - where you have to pay an additional "small fee" (which I heard from others was typically $6-$8) for movies that were in high demand.  I saw several people on Facebook complain about this because the so-called high demand movies would have an empty theater - so why then was it high demand and they had to pay extra to see it?

Still, for me, I thought, no big deal.  I often go see movies during the week and before 7pm so they are usually not part of "Peak Pricing" and I avoided seeing any on the weekends that were marked as "Peak Pricing" so still...I was still paying $10 a month to see a movie per day.  Although I wasn't going every day of course.

MoviePass Change 4:
A couple of weeks afterward, Mission Impossible: Fallout came out and I think it broke MoviePass….the app was down all weekend that it came out - you couldn't use it at all apparently.

I was working all weekend so wasn't even aware of the problem until I saw it on the news.  But all in all, since I was working, it didn't effect me and I blew it off - hoping they would fix it.

The problem it seems, was that MoviePass ran out of money (although it cost members $10 a month, MoviePass loads the full price of the movie to the card and the theater gets the full price).

So….when MoviePass did come back up, we were told that "just like Netflix", not all movies would be available at all times and we'd be limited - in other words - no just released Big Blockbuster movies would be allowed.

Again...although a bit irritated by this, not a big deal to me because I can wait a few weeks to see a movie, I don't have to see it the weekend it comes out.  I am patient and can wait.

MoviePass Change 5:
(I think it is the 5th change since I have had it, I have truly lost count but I am hitting the major ones)
Today, I receive notice, again...like it is a great thing....patrons don't like having to take photos of their ticket stubs nor do they like Peak Pricing so they are doing away with that....Awesome, right...well....

There is a catch...yes, some movies will still be blocked (uh, or as they say "unavailable") but now you can only see 3 movies a month.

WHAT?  OK! Now the changes are effecting me....they said 85% of the MoviePass users only see 3 or less movies a month.  Well, I am not in that 85%, I guess I am in the 15% and how do we know that is even true - anyone can pick a random statistic to throw out there.

So I could see 30 movies a month and now I can see 3.  That is a BIG difference.  At least they could have given me 4 (one a week on average).  And of those 3, I can even see a new blockbuster release.

They say if you use e-ticketing, then then all movies are available.  Well guess what, I tried that and the movie did show available, but when I selected the seat (you have to select your seat), the seat showed available, but when I selected it, it said it was sold and to pick another one...I tried 6 different seats and each one said it was no longer available.

I gave up and bought my ticket with cash instead - of course the same exact seats were showing available and I was easily able to select the first one that I tried to select with the app.

So...either the app wasn't working right or they just added that little glitch so e-tickets wouldn't work for major movies either (even though they are saying it will)

Am I annoyed?  Yes!!

Am I giving up MoviePass? No - not yet anyway.  It is still $10 a month for 3 movies and that is still cheaper than one movie (which can be $16 at night)

Of course I will keep using it for now but if it gets to where I am not being able to use it 3 times, then I will probably let it go.

I think they really want people to quit using it...

I think they initially thought people would pay $10 a month and never use the card (kind of like the Planet Fitness for movie goers) but going to the movies is fun, going the gym isn't.

I am sure that any day, I will get word that MoviePass is ka-poot but for now...I will pay my $10 and see my measly 3 movies a month.