Theater subscription service MoviePass is losing $20 Million every single month and is on its way to an embarrassing shut down if it doesn’t make some big changes with some fresh ideas to shake up the current wtf-were-they-thinking system. Luckily I have those changes that can save them right here for them to ignore and close-anyway over but don’t say I didn’t tell-ya-so.
Some ways I thought of that I expected the company to try by now and still recommend to them here publicly and free of charge are:
Offer more services than just the theater Subscription thing
Pre-Orders – Compete with services like Fandango and offer users a one-account place to order theater tickets online without a membership and then add some perks to those who DO get the membership and want things like additional tickets for non-MoviePass holders.
Rentals – Compete with the all-but-ignored DVD mailing wing that still exists under Netflix and the once-popular-but-still-available RedBox rental system. Maybe even merge with or acquire RedBox and let any MoviePass members rent from any RedBox kiosk with their MoviePass card at a discount, with special-tier’ed members getting access to unlimited movie rentals (*just one at a time but otherwise “all you can watch”).
Streaming – Get in on this space. Currently there exists Netflix, Hulu, the WalMart owned Vudu as the top paid services. I recommend acquiring or duplicating the model of free/ad supported services like Pluto TV and Tubi, which both stream online and through smart TV apps. MoviePass should make the brand synonymous with movie watching whether its at home or in theaters and then cross market the platforms to each group so that a person watching an older movie on their MoviePass app on TV at home gets a steady feed of trailers and promotions for movies currently in theaters and coming soon.
Offer a Premium Pass Membership
MoviePass never let you see 3D or IMAX movies under any circumstances. This seems like a big waste instead of just offering an up-sell membership tier that would include those formats. Find some other perks you can pack into a package and make this the $40/month plan. It’ll take some mathing out to figure exactly what it would make sense to provide under this plan but in addition to definitely allowing 3D & IMAX showings, I would look into things like waving online pre-order fees, discounting a % on additional tickets, and rolling in some of the other suggestions in this list into coverage under this plan.
Create a “Priceline for Theaters” service and bring back the “dollar theater” model
Offer a basic plan – obviously call it something else – and make it the cheapest but with the most blackouts on locations, days, and showing time restrictions for $6.99/month.
If the service could create relationships with theater chains to gain insight to their slowest days and showtimes and then offer a MoviePass tier to fill those slowest slots, that could be a win-win for everyone that seems eminently doable. Just like how travel services like Priceline work with airlines and hotels to fill their unused seats and rooms at a discount.
Anyone grow up with a “dollar theater” (usually $3 or so) near them? The concept (playing older movies at an extreme discount and less fancy movie house) appears to be in very little practice anywhere anymore but MoviePass could bring it back. With the Basic ButNamedSomethingElse tier Membership, offer users 1 free movie a month on their card and additional movies at “dollar theater” prices for titles that are more than 2 months past their initial release date, or other metrics informed by the inside info you get from theater chain partnerships – ie: use your BasicPass for $3 movies on weekdays and before 5pm on weekends.
Offer a Concessions Perk Addition to the Pass
Work within the established relationship with national chains from my #2 idea and allow the MoviePass card to grant users concession perks like free upgrades on the sizes of their sodas and popcorns, and/or free refills on regular-price purchases, and/or a loyalty punchcard that gives them a freebie of something on their 15th visit or so. To do this you will have to develop a rewards system tech in your app that can apply anywhere and then offer the partnership to any theater anywhere, whether its a national chain, a single-location mom&pop location, a drive-in – whatever. Only AMC, Harkins Theaters, and maybe one other big chain have rewards membership.