MoviePass and Other Cinema Subscription Services

[stevewhamola]

MoviePass changed the passwords of heavy users among other shady practices.

Appears to be a summary of this Business Insider article on their demise, which is behind a pay wall but I'll certainly pony up to read.

Pro tip: If you save the page as HTML only, it bypasses the paywall and you can read the article for free.

[Brian C]

Yeah, they were pretty obviously a fraudulent enterprise once M:I rolled around. Gotta keep an eye out for any company who hires Lowe from here out in order to steer clear.

[Big Ben]

Thousands of MoviePass customers’ credit card numbers were exposed online. Thought it might be relevant to mention to some of you just in case. Big yikes if they let security fall to the wayside due to their money issues.

[cdnchris]

You know what I always find funny (well, aggravating) with shit like this, where its just exposed: it is not hard to encrypt data and then decrypt it for use. Like, at all. Just lets me know the level of talent they had.

[DarkImbecile]

Goodnight, my sweet, stupid, fraudulent prince... 10 of our 12 months together were glorious.

[mfunk9786]

It really was something of a golden era of going to the movies while the service was working. I loved using it. Of course, nothing gold can stay.

[tenia]

Remind me : don't you have multiplex unlimited passes in the US ? Like "pay $20 per month to see as many movies you like" ?

[hearthesilence]

How much is it to see films in Europe? It's quite a bit more than the U.S. (even more than NYC where it's especially expensive) isn't it? I saw a few in London over ten years ago and I recall it being almost $20, though that was with a 2:1 dollar to pound exchange rate.

[mfunk9786]

Remind me : don't you have multiplex unlimited passes in the US ? Like "pay $20 per month to see as many movies you like" ?

That was pretty much the result of MoviePass, yes. But they're broken down by multiplex, you have to choose your preference and can't use the service elsewhere. What made MoviePass so great for the brief period of time it was working is that it could be used at indie/art house theaters too, especially after they made a deal with Landmark Theaters so their tickets were integrated with the app and very easy to obtain. But yes, I am certainly not complaining about spending $22 per month to see almost every first run movie I want at the Regal a 10 minute drive down the highway.

[tenia]

UK prices aren't representative of European prices. In France, you have 20€/month unlimited cards for many big chains, while smaller theaters tickets can cost down to 5€ per movie (avg is 6.5€ per movie). And I think France are the most expensive tickets.

[hearthesilence]

Turns out I knew someone who was still on MoviePass and it “worked” at Film Forum, as long as you checked in elsewhere. It really worked like a regular credit card.

[domino harvey]

Pretty amusing detail from the notice of MoviePass’ bankruptcy protection filing

MoviePass named roughly 12,000 subscribers as creditors in its bankruptcy filing. It named every last one of them, detailing how much money they're owed from the company. The subscriber list took up 174 of the filing's 506 pages.

[tenia]

Because customers love their names going public like this.

[cdnchris]

Operators of MoviePass Subscription Service Agree to Settle FTC Allegations that They Limited Usage, Failed to Secure User Data

No surprise to most I'm sure as a lot of users were experiencing these problems, but the highlights of some of their shifty attempts to disrupt users:

First, according to the FTC, MoviePass’s operators invalidated subscriber passwords while falsely claiming to have detected “suspicious activity or potential fraud” on the accounts. MoviePass's operators did this even though some of its own executives raised questions about the scheme, according to the complaint.

Second, MoviePass’s operators launched a ticket verification program to discourage use of the service. This program required subscribers to take and submit pictures of their physical movie ticket stubs for approval through the MoviePass app within a certain timeframe. Subscribers who failed to submit their tickets could not view future movies and could have their subscriptions canceled if they failed to verify their tickets more than once. The program blocked thousands of subscribers from using the service because of problems with the verification system, according to the complaint.

Third, MoviePass’s operators used “trip wires” that blocked certain groups of users—typically those who viewed more than three movies per month—from utilizing the service after they collectively hit certain thresholds based on their monthly cost to the company, the FTC alleges.

The Commission’s complaint details how Lowe and Farnsworth were personally involved in this scheme. For example, Lowe is alleged to have personally ordered subscribers’ passwords to be disrupted, and even chose the number of consumers to be targeted. As for Farnsworth, the complaint alleges that an employee sent an email on Farnsworth’s behalf proposing a misleading consumer notice about the password disruption. Both executives knew their scheme was deceptive and harmful to consumers, according to the complaint.

[hearthesilence]

Operators of MoviePass Subscription Service Agree to Settle FTC Allegations that They Limited Usage, Failed to Secure User Data

No surprise to most I'm sure as a lot of users were experiencing these problems, but the highlights of some of their shifty attempts to disrupt users:

Second, MoviePass’s operators launched a ticket verification program to discourage use of the service. This program required subscribers to take and submit pictures of their physical movie ticket stubs for approval through the MoviePass app within a certain timeframe. Subscribers who failed to submit their tickets could not view future movies and could have their subscriptions canceled if they failed to verify their tickets more than once. The program blocked thousands of subscribers from using the service because of problems with the verification system, according to the complaint.

In defense of the ticket verification system, there was subscriber misuse that warranted it. I actually know someone who stuck it out to the end who used MoviePass for Film Forum even though Film Forum never accepted MoviePass, ever. They simply bought a ticket at some random movie theater then used the card at Film Forum when the money was loaded on to it since the card worked just like a credit card.

Everything else, I won't defend.

[cdnchris]

I think it's a legitimate reason as well, though I'm guessing the FTC found they enabled it to discourage use by making it more annoying, not as any sort of real check.

Also, the trip wires are bad enough, but to go in to literally make it harder to log in to the app (changing/disabling passwords) is a real ballsy move.

Weren't there issues where people couldn't actually buy tickets for theaters they were close to. As in, the showings would show up when you weren't nearby but the moment you travelled there and it came time to buy the ticket, it was suddenly unavailable?

[Drucker]

Yes absolutely. I work in NYC, and so I would eyeball 7pm showtimes during the workday (if the show was likely to sell out and I wanted to go, I would buy a ticket outright). Until like 6pm or so the tickets would be available, and then inevitably, when the ticket window hour was triggered, the screening I was looking for would be gone.

[hearthesilence]

Yeah, that part was aggravating - screen times would constantly disappear, and there was a long stretch where it was like WTF is going on?

[Fiery Angel]

MoviePass 2.0:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/moviepass- ... 4849209847

[domino harvey]

MoviePass’ redux requires earning redeemable points by watching ads on your phone while allowing the app to track your eyeballs with your camera to confirm you’re watching…

[Brian C]

Followed by a 10-question test to confirm that you were actually paying attention and not just absentmindedly keeping your eyes focused on the phone, plus giving “MoviePass, its owners, executives, and all successors, power of attorney over all current and future credit card accounts in perpetuity.”

Gotta close all the loopholes that sunk them last time around….

[domino harvey]

It’s telling that it took me a long time to realize you were joking!

[Drucker]

MoviePass’ redux requires earning redeemable points by watching ads on your phone while allowing the app to track your eyeballs with your camera to confirm you’re watching…

Spoiler

As someone that works in AdTech, this completely screams of bullshit, and I would wager that the tech that they have been sold won't actually work at all, and just be super annoying and buggy. EG you will watch the ad but it will say you didn't, etc.

[Toland's Mitchell]

MoviePass will return on September 5th

We'll see how this goes.

[therewillbeblus]

I got the email as well, but promptly deleted it - unless there's some kind of very clear safeguard to protect against all that was happening before, it doesn't seem worth the risk