MoviePass a deal, despite raise in price

By Ginger Simons

MoviePass has changed the game of movie attendance in a way that could make keeping up with current films more accessible. However, the idea of paying ten dollars a month to see unlimited movies is a model that may prove to be too good to be true.

MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe announced the service will soon implement a system of “surge pricing,” potentially adding an extra $2 onto high demand movies, according to his interview with Business Insider.

The announcement caused concern for subscribers of the service as a flat rate of $10 to see nearly unlimited movies isn’t as sustainable of a business model as the company initially thought. The changes could go into effect as early as this summer.

AMC was among the first theater chains to take issue with the service, and has since announced they will offer an alternative plan as a part of their AMC Stubs membership program called “AMC Stubs A-List” where customers can pay $20 a month to see up to three movies per week.

With all of the speculation about MoviePass’s shortcomings, it is undeniable they’ve revolutionized the moviegoing experience. The service already serves over three million users, according to the MoviePass website.

Though the pricing may change in the coming months, it’s not yet time for MoviePass fans to panic. Even with the new changes, a MoviePass can still pay for itself with only two film screenings.

MoviePass has given film lovers a means to see current films in theatres without spending nearly $10 per movie, giving all the more initiative to support movies before they hit DVD or Netflix.

For college students, especially those with an interest in film, MoviePass can be an excellent service that provides the means to stay engaged in current movies. With the digital age came streaming services that allow viewers to watch movies from the comfort of their own laptops and iPads, as well as the ability to pirate movies from unofficial websites.

“Central to the movie theater experience is feeling overwhelmed by the image—the large screen over powers us and makes us lose ourselves in our identification with the action,” NIU Communications professor Dr. Jeffrey Chown said. “Watching a film on your cell phone is about convenience, not about feeling that sense that the movie is immersive.”

According to a January report by The Verge, domestic movie theater attendance hit a 25-year low in 2017. While MoviePass has caused valid concern for chain theaters in regards to losing money on ticket sales, the alternative may very well be that more people favor waiting for movies to hit streaming services over seeing them in theaters.

While the convenience of home movie viewing services can’t be overstated, something is lost in the translation from the big to the small screen. Movie screenings provide an environment where films can be viewed without distraction in a way that supports the film’s domestic box office numbers. When a person sees a movie in theaters, it’s a sign to the studios that this is content that the public wants more of.

“Now feature films are way behind television, video games, the internet, and even pop music,” said Chown. “Students think movies are too expensive, too oriented to teenagers, and not worth the effort.”

Movie attendance can make or break both the film itself and the crew who work to bring the film to the big screen. Film lovers and patrons should not be so quick to dismiss the experience of seeing a movie in the way that it was intended – on the silver screen.

Services like MoviePass (as well as AMC’s rival model) seem to have the right idea when it comes to upping movie theater attendance. With the costs of tickets often enough to deter a person from seeing a particular movie, these services allow viewers to engage more intimately in the movie viewing experience, as well as prompt them to see movies that they would otherwise would not.