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MoviePass (Unlimited Films in Theaters) Drops to $9.95 a Month

Phionoxx

Member
Dumb question potentially but I've read through the OP and last few pages and still don't know.

With Movie pass is it possible to purchase tickets in advance for reserved seating theaters? Or are you limited to having to physically be present at the box office on the day of the screening to reserve your seat and buy a ticket.

I've been spoiled by Fandango and am now used to buying reserved seats 3 to 5 days in advance so I can sit in a good spot.
 
Dumb question potentially but I've read through the OP and last few pages and still don't know.

With Movie pass is it possible to purchase tickets in advance for reserved seating theaters? Or are you limited to having to physically be present at the box office on the day of the screening to reserve your seat and buy a ticket.

I've been spoiled by Fandango and am now used to buying reserved seats 3 to 5 days in advance so I can sit in a good spot.

You can't buy days ahead of time.
 

Zackat

Member
I got my card today. It still says it is processing in the app though. Is that normal or do I need to troubleshoot?
 

RPGCrazied

Member
Even if only 2D that is a steal. Ticket prices here for 2D are close to $9. My sister would love this, she goes to the movies all the time.
 
Even if only 2D that is a steal. Ticket prices here for 2D are close to $9. My sister would love this, she goes to the movies all the time.
problem is sometimes there are only 3d and imax screenings of big movies available on opening week.

for example yesterday me and my friend wanted to test out his movie pass on blade runner. we both got out of work late so we’re looking late screenings. after 10 it was imax only. all regular show times end after 7/8pm.....so we had to cancel and reschedule it for today cause we want to test out his pass (he got it this week and hasn’t used it yet)

it doesn’t work for “hey, you free? blah blah is out, let’s go now” type of situations. cause you have to plan in advance, time it according to the theaters schedule and availability and not yours......which isn’t always possible. so i think i’m passing on this unless they add more options
 

NimbusD

Member
For people having problems at certain theaters that 'should' work... You going to the booth or using the machines to get a ticket? Go the the machines, if the funds are added on moviepass end, there's no reason it shouldn't work. Booth people who say they can't take it are bsing
 
In that instance you'd be able to tell the cashier "I want this much on this card, then I'll pay the rest with this" and tell her the typical movie ticket price.

I'm not all that interested in doing this. I don't find IMAX special, just a bigger screen (and my local IMAX has some annoying imperfections on theirs) and 3D is often just gimmick nonsense. I just was curious with how the process works on how'd they know.

People are sort of making assumptions on the data that the Mastercard debit card network is giving MoviePass - simply the amount, location, date/time of transaction, and category of transaction. I don't think anyone has flat out said they know exactly what data is being sent and here it is.

I remember some guy on slickdeals bragged about how he had 2 MP cards and would use one for buying the ticket and the second for buying popcorn/soda at the theater. 2-3 weeks later he posted that his cards got banned from MP. So they can apparently track that sort of thing down, either by the amounts not matching or by the meta-data having a difference between a ticket and concession. Or the guy could have been trolling and none of it happened, its really hard to tell.

It would be great to have some debit network metadata guy tell us exactly what sort of data gets sent across. Maybe the name of the movie the person bought and the time is also sent, I sort of doubt it, but if it does then MP is quietly sitting on all that data and could ban people who buy the "wrong" ticket.
 

BTA

Member
People are sort of making assumptions on the data that the Mastercard debit card network is giving MoviePass - simply the amount, location, date/time of transaction, and category of transaction. I don't think anyone has flat out said they know exactly what data is being sent and here it is.

I remember some guy on slickdeals bragged about how he had 2 MP cards and would use one for buying the ticket and the second for buying popcorn/soda at the theater. 2-3 weeks later he posted that his cards got banned from MP. So they can apparently track that sort of thing down, either by the amounts not matching or by the meta-data having a difference between a ticket and concession. Or the guy could have been trolling and none of it happened, its really hard to tell.

It would be great to have some debit network metadata guy tell us exactly what sort of data gets sent across. Maybe the name of the movie the person bought and the time is also sent, I sort of doubt it, but if it does then MP is quietly sitting on all that data and could ban people who buy the "wrong" ticket.

I mean, that situation wouldn't really need metadata or anything to be detected as fraud.

1. I'm assuming both cards had the same billing address.
2. Both cards were frequently used at the same location.
3. Both cards were frequently used at vaguely the same time.

None of this is necessarily shady. Though 1 definitely could be if it was registered to a single person's name and not just different people in the same household. Then you have...

4. One of the cards always was charged a lower amount than it was credited.

And that's what would push it over the edge. Even if you consistently switched up which card was being used for what, do that enough and you're probably getting looked at.
 

Zoe

Member
It's definitely possible that box office transactions are flagged differently, especially when you take movie eateries into account.
 

JesseZao

Member
it doesn't work for ”hey, you free? blah blah is out, let's go now" type of situations. cause you have to plan in advance, time it according to the theaters schedule and availability and not yours......which isn't always possible. so i think i'm passing on this unless they add more options

What would you have done otherwise? Just show up to the theater and ask for a ticket to a showing that is starting in 10 minutes expecting there to be one? Looking up showtimes is now considered a burden?

I don't understand how something so simple can be so hard for people. I hadn't been going to more than 3-4 movies a year before this thing and that is only after (advance) reserved seat tickets became a thing.

Somehow, I was able to adjust with same day ticketing because I pay less than the price of one ticket a month. It really doesn't take much time to lookup local theater showtimes and most places should have an app at this point.

Really though, if you don't like the deal now, I don't think it's reasonable to expect it to get better. The only improvement to expect would be a group/family plan.

People are sort of making assumptions on the data that the Mastercard debit card network is giving MoviePass - simply the amount, location, date/time of transaction, and category of transaction. I don't think anyone has flat out said they know exactly what data is being sent and here it is.

I remember some guy on slickdeals bragged about how he had 2 MP cards and would use one for buying the ticket and the second for buying popcorn/soda at the theater. 2-3 weeks later he posted that his cards got banned from MP. So they can apparently track that sort of thing down, either by the amounts not matching or by the meta-data having a difference between a ticket and concession. Or the guy could have been trolling and none of it happened, its really hard to tell.

It would be great to have some debit network metadata guy tell us exactly what sort of data gets sent across. Maybe the name of the movie the person bought and the time is also sent, I sort of doubt it, but if it does then MP is quietly sitting on all that data and could ban people who buy the "wrong" ticket.

Unless the concession price matches the ticket price, it'll be pretty obvious to them.
 

Sean

Banned
You can't buy days ahead of time.

There might be a workaround actually, but I haven't tried it though. The AMC Theatres kiosk lets you purchase tickets like 3-4 days in advance.

So in theory you could head to the theater, pick a screening from today on MoviePass and check in, have the funds loaded to your card, and then on the kiosk just select a screening from Monday or Tuesday instead of today. Have to be sure the prices match up though etc..
 

KyleCross

Member
There might be a workaround actually, but I haven't tried it though. The AMC Theatres kiosk lets you purchase tickets like 3-4 days in advance.

So in theory you could head to the theater, pick a screening from today on MoviePass and check in, have the funds loaded to your card, and then on the kiosk just select a screening from Monday or Tuesday instead of today. Have to be sure the prices match up though etc..
Doesn't this cross into the whole "Not buying what you should be buying" territory we're talking about? I really wish we knew more.
 

CatPee

Member
You can't buy days ahead of time.

I experimented with my local theater while I was at work nearby. It is possible to load funds on the card by checking in to a movie and loading funds on the card, then pre-purchase tickets for a future showing. It's also possible to buy yet another ticket for the same future showing if you wait for the next day and check in once again. I was even able to buy the tickets via my theater's phone app, so I never even set foot in the theater proper. I was able to use one card to get both myself and my girlfriend tickets to see IT while she was waiting on her card.

It's a system that works well and ensures compatibility at a lot of locations, but it's pretty exploitable. I'm anticipating that once the new registration shitstorm dies down, they'll get on implementing more restrictions.
 

Sean

Banned
Doesn't this cross into the whole "Not buying what you should be buying" territory we're talking about? I really wish we knew more.

It’s s grey area imo. You’d be buying a ticket for the same movie and same price, just going on a different day. I guess it’s technically against the TOS but seems harmless tbh. I don’t think there’s any way they could even tell.
 

JesseZao

Member
It’s s grey area imo. You’d be buying a ticket for the same movie and same price, just going on a different day. I guess it’s technically against the TOS but seems harmless tbh. I don’t think there’s any way they could even tell.

Location tracking would be the downfall there. They used to have you take pictures of the tickets you bought. I think they removed that before the price drop. I could see them tightening up the loopholes in a few months, but I feel like all they care about at this point is explosive growth.
 

Big Blue

Member
problem is sometimes there are only 3d and imax screenings of big movies available on opening week.

for example yesterday me and my friend wanted to test out his movie pass on blade runner. we both got out of work late so we’re looking late screenings. after 10 it was imax only. all regular show times end after 7/8pm.....so we had to cancel and reschedule it for today cause we want to test out his pass (he got it this week and hasn’t used it yet)

it doesn’t work for “hey, you free? blah blah is out, let’s go now” type of situations. cause you have to plan in advance, time it according to the theaters schedule and availability and not yours......which isn’t always possible. so i think i’m passing on this unless they add more options
I mean you're just being plain lazy. Period.
 
i wonder how long it’ll take to be able to see star wars with moviepass in big cities since you can’t get advance tickets. i guess you could go in the morning before a night screening and get a ticket.
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
There are still movies I want to see but I'm reluctant to go to the theater. I think that Blade Runner 2049 traumatized me.
 

Oni Jazar

Member
i wonder how long it’ll take to be able to see star wars with moviepass in big cities since you can’t get advance tickets. i guess you could go in the morning before a night screening and get a ticket.

Popular movies usually are on multiple screens and have showtimes like every half hour. The last few times I saw big movies on opening weekend it wasn't even full.
 

keenerz

Member
Popular movies usually are on multiple screens and have showtimes like every half hour. The last few times I saw big movies on opening weekend it wasn't even full.

Depends on where you live, in SF the theaters are all always packed full on opening weekend, sometimes even second weekend too. Just gotta get lucky.
 

Sean

Banned
Location tracking would be the downfall there. They used to have you take pictures of the tickets you bought. I think they removed that before the price drop. I could see them tightening up the loopholes in a few months, but I feel like all they care about at this point is explosive growth.

How would location tracking be the downfall? MoviePass knows the GPS location and time when you check-in on their app, but that's all. After you perform the transaction in their app, they're completely blind. It's impossible for them to know which movie and showtime you selected on the kiosk at the theater.

The only way they can sorta figure things out is if there's a price discrepancy. But if you check in to Blade Runner on a Sunday for $14.50 but then use the kiosk to buy a ticket for Blade Runner on Monday or Tuesday for the same $14.50 price instead, it will look completely normal on their end.

Requiring photos of ticket stubs like they did before is the only way they can sort of clamp down on this loophole, but with the massive user base they have now (probably close to a million subscribers?) that seems impractical to police. They can't even reply to customer support emails, so I doubt they'd be able to inspect the authenticity of millions of ticket stubs.
 
Just signed up.

How long does it usually take for the card to arrive since it says 2-3 weeks

It's going to be 30 days for me on Monday and there's people who subscribed in August that still haven't received their card. You'd be lucky to actually receive it in two to three weeks.
 
Got my card a few weeks ago. Have used it twice already. When I check in for a movie at my local theater, it seems as if it puts $11 on the card give or take.

Two tickets is only like $14 or so.

So I can see a movie with my wife for like 3 bucks and change. Every day if I please. Once a week is enough though as we are picky with movies. Still, this baby paid for itself on the first movie we went to, so even ONE movie a month will still make it worthwhile.
 

trs1080

Neo Member
I used this to see IT at a Cinemark and Blade Runner at an AMC, worked perfectly. I did sign up for AMC Premier and the place I went to only had regular and large sizes, and I got the free upgrade. That's way too much fucking popcorn!!
 

KyleCross

Member
Has anyone used their pass on 2D IMAX? Wanting to try it on Blade Runner tomorrow.
I just did because for whatever reason the time the app showed for normal 2D wasn't right with the next showing being over an hour from then, but the IMAX was in 10 minutes so I said "Screw it." I had to pay $3.10.

ALWAYS cross check the app times with the theatres times before going everyone.
 

Luke_Wal

Member
I noticed when I saw Kingsman the other day that the self serve kiosk at my theater (a Cinemark) allowed you to buy pre-sale tickets for Thor Ragnarok. Is there anything to stop me from going onto the app, saying I’m seeing Blade Runner, and using that money to pre-buy a Thor ticket?
 
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