I’ve lost count of how many business models MoviePass has tried in an attempt to offer unlimited movie-going for a fixed monthly fee.
Let’s see (I hope I have enough fingers for this) …
There was $10/month for unlimited movies. Part of that model was selling location data on subscribers after they left the theater, but the company soon had to backtrack on that one. Then unlimited became four movies per month. Next you could only see each movie once. Then unlimited returned. Then new films were excluded. After that, it was three movies/month. Next it was limited movie selections. And then three subscription tiers.
And now we’re on business model nine. Unlimited … except when the company decides you’re not allowed to watch something.
As The Verge summarised it:
Or as the latest terms and conditions put it:
Or to cut through the legaleze, you can only see movies that no-one else wants to see at the time and place you want to see them. The only time MoviePass tickets will be offered is when a theater knows it’s going to be left with unsold seats.
As you’d expect, given the way the company is making things up as it goes along, the terms also allow the company to change the offer, and its price, at any time.
Photo: Shutterstock
