Review: Moviepass and Chill: A subscription based service that eases your theater experience
I love independent cinema and for a long time wanted to make viewing indie films a hobby, but the cost of tickets prevented me. If I saw one film a week, the monthly cost would be over $50 with the cost of $12 a ticket plus tax. Moviepass allowed me to do exactly that for a fraction of the cost.
Moviepass is a subscription based service for $9.95 per month that gives you access to a movie a day. That is a maximum of thirty-one films per calendar month for less than the cost of one ticket. Sinemia, a Moviepass competitor, recently began to offer a plan for $5 that offers one film per month. This plan works well for infrequent users than simply want to lower the cost of a ticket.
I was eager to see all the films to my heart’s content and signed up last summer when the company dropped its cost from $50 to $9.95 a month. I received my card within a week and was ready to go. I rushed out the same night to try out the card and see the hyped remake of “It,” and it went off without an issue.
It was simple to use and almost felt like stealing. At first I would drive down to various parts of Los Angeles where there are independent theaters to watch foreign and indie films such as The Square, a Swedish film released soon after I had my pass.
Moviepass is accepted at almost all theaters, including large chains such as AMC and Edwards. This makes it perfect fit for indie and blockbuster fans alike. It allowed me to support independent films and filmmakers who depend on ticket sales, and see massive blockbusters on Tuesday nights when noisy crowds and their crying babies are at home.
All I had to do was download their app, pick a showing and theater, then charge the card for the ticket when I was there. The service does not allow the viewing of the same film twice, IMAX or 3D films and certain films on opening weekend. The consumer has to be at the theater in person to purchase the ticket, though some theaters are adopting e-ticketing which helps solve this issue.
The $10 Moviepass gives me tickets with a few convenience related caveats. You might not get all the premium privileges such as booking tickets for an opening weekend in advance or seeing a IMAX screening but you will get to see the film.
The service is easy and reliable to use. It has changed the way that I view movies especially how often I go with an average of five visits a month since being subscribed. The service really gives people on a budget an opportunity to make moviegoing a pastime.
