The creators of MoviePass, a fresh-faced subscription service which lets members see all the movies they want in theaters rather than their homes, made no excuses for the similarities between it and popular online streamer Netflix. In fact, the company embraced them.
Before MoviePass' planned unveiling over the busy July 4th holiday weekend which would grant early adopters with a limited beta offer valid in several theaters in San Francisco, MoviePass was already touting the pros of the "all you can watch" Netflix model. Sadly, one aspect it didn't copy from Netflix was actually getting permission from its alleged partners.
Not unlike a bubbly college co-ed vacationing at Camp Crystal Lake, MoviePass' novel testbed got the axe when theater owners discovered they were listed as willing participants without actually agreeing to be willing participants. Three different theater companies - AMC, Camera Cinemas and Landmark Theaters - came forth only to distance themselves from the program and confirm that they were not honoring it in any of their locations. A press release sent out by AMC stated the chain had zero involvement with MoviePass' overall design and certainly never consented to being a partner in the beta. Stephen Colanero, AMC Chief Marketing Officer, added that the service as is "does not integrate well" into other programs the theater franchise offers its customers.
The suitably huge bungle (everything's bigger on the silver screen, right?) has caused some to wonder if the show is over before it even started for MoviePass. The company, though almost certainly hurting from the gaffe, seems focused on carrying on. Stacy Spikes, co-founder of MoviePass, told Wired that the opportunity to discuss the service with theaters now is all thanks to the kerfuffle - a "silver lining," as he put it. Spikes added that his company was open to "modifications" if it would help bring partners aboard. "We want to help bring people back to theaters," he said. And for what it's worth, Hollywood could use it.
Recent research turned up a 16% decline in ticket sales in the first few months of 2011 compared to last year thanks in part to a "post-Avatar effect." Putting more butts in theater seats is always a goal for theater owners, so maybe acting bullish on a unique new method to do just that isn't in their best interest. However, $50/month for unlimited movies may price MoviePass outside of the range of its target market: Netflix subscribers who take their love of cinema outside the house whenever they can. And with recent talk of pay TV cord cutting, it could prove overwhelmingly difficult to talk consumers into spending when they're trying to save.
For now, MoviePass seems to still be alive; its blog was updated on Tuesday.
Would you pay $50 per month for unlimited access to theaters? Or is that just too much? Let us know in the comment section.
