The service MoviePass offers a seemingly impossible bargain: Pay $10 a month and they'll get you into as many 2D movies as you want at almost any theater, with no blackout dates.
The super-low price point, introduced to the service this month, is causing major concerns among some movie theater operators. Fearing that customers will get used to unlimited films at a very low price, AMC Theaters reportedly has imposed some limits on the service in Denver and Boston.
Previously, AMC cooperated with the service by allowing users in Denver and Boston to buy "e-tickets" in advance, according to MoviePass. Now, the AMC chain is clamping down by taking away that option, as SlashFilm reported.
However, it's not much of a blow, as only a small number of theaters offered the advance-purchase option in the first place, according to SlashFilm.
AMC also is considering legal action to see if it can keep MoviePass out of all its U.S. theaters, according to a press release. The third-party service is independent of the theaters; it works by giving users a special debit card with which to purchase tickets. MoviePass subsidizes the difference between the subscription cost and the true cost of the tickets. There is no contract and cancellations are allowed at any time, according to CNET.
MoviePass does indeed offer an absurdly low price point, considering a single movie ticket might cost $9 or more here, but the startup figures it'll make some of its money back by selling your personal data, and they hope to partner with companies like AMC in the future. In fact, AMC once was an ally of the program, participating in a premium program that offered access to Imax and 3D showings in Denver and Boston.
MoviePass currently can be used at some of the area's largest theaters, according to its website, including:
- United Artists Denver Pavilions
- United Artists Denver West Village
- AMC Westminster Promenade
- AMC Cherry Creek
- Cinebarre - Thornton
- Colorado Mills Stadium 16
- Cinema Latino de Aurora
- Century 16 Aurora
- Alamo Drafthouse Littleton (but not Sloans Lake)
Smaller theaters like the Mayan don't appear to be participating. A full list is available via MoviePass.
If you've had an interesting experience with MoviePass in Denver, let me know. This post was corrected to show that Alamo Drafthouse has one participating theater.
