i isLast month, MoviePass dropped their membership price to $10 monthly to view “unlimited” movies in the theater. Up until that announcement I had no idea there’s a company out there offering such a thing… and for only $10 per month? I had to check it out.
The buzz around the web was crazy and I was intrigued by the concept, so I signed up the next day (August 16th).
I read through their site (MoviePass.com) to get a better grasp of what I was getting into.
The main takeaways being:
1.) You have to use your MoviePass card along with their app.
2.) Seems like any movie theater that supports Mastercard is also supported by MoviePass. Any movie you go and see gets charged to MoviePass.
3.) Takes around 7 days to get your MoviePass card after sign up. (Not exactly true, I’ll get to that later.)
4.) The billing period starts a month from the time you activate it. (They do charge you right away after sign up though.)
5.) At certain theaters you can reserve your seat and get an e-ticket. (Only a fraction of theaters is supported.)
6.) Must be 100 yards away or less to select a movie you want to see. Unless it’s a supported e-ticket theater.
7.) Can only see the same movie once.
8.) Only you are allowed to use the card; you can’t it share with friends or family.
9.) Can only see one movie every 24 hours. (That kind of takes away the “unlimited” movies claim.)
Those are just a few quick takeaways I can name off the top of my head.
Now, I decided to write this review a little prematurely since I haven’t received my MoviePass card yet… Yes, I signed up and paid August 16th and still haven’t received a card yet– that’s over a month and no card.
I expected it to be a little more delayed then the 7 days they claimed on their site when I signed up. I realize the buzz was pretty great when they announced the price drop, but it taking over a month to receive a little card in the mail is frustrating… especially when their service is useless without it.
Who knows when I’ll receive it. I’ll update this review when I get the card and can dig a little deeper into everything.
Conclusion — For now
Even though I haven’t received the MoviePass card yet, I still had a chance to mess around a little bit with their Android app.
Their app doesn’t exactly win any awards. At the time this review was written it has an underwhelming rating of 2.5.
The app is glitchy to say the least. Half the time compatible theaters don’t show up even though I know there are plenty around me. I restart the app and even then it won’t always work. I’m hoping the app is a lot more stable once I activate my card.
I’ll update this review– hopefully for the positive when I can dive in and use MoviePass fully.
*UPDATE* Finally got it! (Sept. 25th, 2017)
Ok, so it’s finally here! After waiting close to a month and a half, it’s here. It’s nice to know it eventually does show up… I was starting to question if it was ever going to arrive. I haven’t gotten a chance to use it yet, but will update this post once I try it out.
*UPDATE* (April 20th, 2018)
I’ve been using MoviePass for a few months now, so I thought It’d be a good time to update my review.
Initially, I wasn’t impressed with how long it took to get my card and account activated. It gave me doubts about the service they provide. Luckily though, once my card was enabled their service has been surprisingly easy to use.
I’m not sure about iPhone, but on their Android app, all you need to do is go to the “Theaters” tab and find a movie you want to see. Pick a time that works for you and head to the theater. Once you’re in the theater parking lot, click the “Check In” button for that time, and you have 30 minutes to get in there and use your MoviePass card.
It’s a simple process that works well.
I also have to say their customer service was excellent when I had a minor issue with my account. I contacted them through the MoviePass app and received help within 2 minutes.
If you’re a movie lover and go the theater more than a couple of times per month, give MoviePass serious consideration.
*UPDATE* (September 16th, 2020)
Roughly a year ago MoviePass announced that it would be suspending operations with hopes of possibly restarting the service in the future. I don’t think I’ll be trying the service even if they are able to come back. The service went significantly downhill before their ultimate demise. Movie options and times were so restrictive it was nearly impossible to use it. If they are able to relaunch, hopefully they can figure out a way to improve the service instead of constantly taking away features and functionality as time goes on.
*UPDATE* (September 27th, 2022)
Apparently MoviePass is coming back. It’s in beta right now. I didn’t signup this time around because the user experience was so bad toward the end that it left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll wait until I see some reviews from others before considering joining again and updating this review.
