Movie fans may remember how poor Milton kept getting his desk moved in "Office Space," finally ending up downstairs near the loading dock. You can forgive some MoviePass customers for feeling that way now.
The movie subscription service MoviePass just made some dramatic changes in a last-ditch effort to stay alive.
It's rolling out two more changes that are leaving many subscribers unhappy:
- No more unlimited movies each month, with members restricted to just three movies for their $9.95 monthly fee.
- A weekly list of six or seven "available" movies (which will likely not include the hottest new releases).
Couple not happy anymore
Josh Davidson said he and his wife loved MoviePass the first six months they had it, seeing dozens of first-run movies.
But with recent changes, he said seeing a hit movie has become a mission almost impossible.
His MoviePass app said seeing the sixth "Mission Impossible" was impossible on the Saturday he wanted to go, while some others were not much better.
"There was a 10 p.m. showing of a movie that we were interested in seeing, and there was a 4 p.m. showing of something on Saturday, when we already had plans," he said.
Changes come at dizzying pace
You have to forgive MoviePass members for feeling whip-lashed in recent weeks.
First came surge prices. Then came the service not working at all. Then blackouts, where you couldn't see some of the hottest movies their first week of release.
The struggling service then announced higher peak pricing during busy times and a rate hike, but those plans have now been scrapped.
Instead, it now plans to limit members to just three movies per month, similar to plans offered by AMC and Cinemark.
According to CNN/Money,it is also restricting members to just six or seven current movies in theaters.
The company says that will hopefully get it back on sound financial footing.
MoviePass, in the meantime, says three movies a month should not be a problem for most members, since it says most of its customers were seeing only three movies per month.
Josh Davidson says he might be OK with that, as long as the service works. He just wonders about what surprise awaits next time he heads to his local cinema.
As always, don't waste your money.
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