Not only is Moviepass a website that has popcorn pop with a satisfying sound each time someone signs up to the service and a manual popcorn generation button, but it actually offers a service that is like Netflix, but for tangible movie theaters, as opposed to your iPad or PlayStation 3. The service, which costs $50-per-month (an additional $3 for each IMAX or 3D movie), allows subscribers to watch unlimited movies in actual theaters using their smartphones as tickets. Using an HTML5 application (with the native app coming soon), users can search for a movie, find local showtimes and watch the flick after they check into the theater. Aside from the $50 unlimited service, Moviepass is also planning on offering a four-movie-per-month $30 limited pass.
Moviepass seems like the perfect service for film buffs: Not only does it save subscribers time by allowing them to bypass ticket lines, but a customer would only have to attend around one movie per weekend to justify the price of the $50 unlimited pass — even the planned four-movie-per-month $30 limited pass is already about ten bucks cheaper than actually paying for four separate movies.
After the private beta, the service plans to rollout to other U.S. cities during the summer, then should launch nationally in the fall with the service planning to hit around 40% of U.S. theaters. Along with saving time and money, Moviepass also plans to give subscribers early looks at new trailers and invites to promotional screenings.
With the rise of Netflix and torrenting becoming more popular, Moviepass might actually help struggling theaters, rather than just the customers that feel they can’t justify paying $15 to see a 90 minute movie, because it would actually encourage people to attend theaters by lowering the cost, instead of them deciding to wait six months until the film they want to see comes out on their $10-per-month Netflix service. The $50-per-month pass is definitely a niche audience, in that it is unlikely that many people see a movie each weekend, but hey, they’ve never had a service that would let them get away with doing so before.
