Movie Pass

[Imtotallynottribe]

Movie theaters and shopping malls are both melting ice cubes.

Their time is coming to an end.

Shopping malls I believe can be saved by becoming less about commercial retail space and more about becoming a space for food, entertainment, exercise, and community involvement (ie churches, clubs etc). The Tallahassee Mall had the right idea they just seriously nerfed the landing as well as underestimated how little people want to live on that side of town. If the Governor Square location had been turned into the same thing it would be going gangbusters.

But theatres...yeah they’re basically a relic of time. Other than big blockbusters I want to see in IMAX and/or 3D, I do not go to the theatre. Why? When the food and beverages are 1000x better at my house and the surround sound and tv screen based on the chair distance isn’t as good either.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

2-3 screen theaters make sense, these 20 screen megaplexes are things of the past.

I suppose the physical structure that malls currently occupy can be repurposed as you described but that's not really a mall. It's a community center / entertainment venue - even that might not make sense and is already a highly competitive space.

 

[Nole Lou]

Yeah, I think converting those 20 screen complexes to more like 6 really big screens would be the way to go. I lose my mind every time I go to a movie and the damn screen looks about as big as the wall of my bedroom. However, when you have a true big screen, IMAX or otherwise, it's still a special experience. If the screen isn't giving me a bigger relative experience than sitting 9 feet from my 65" TV, then yes, I'm unsatisfied.

 

[OrlandNole]

As long as movie theaters get access to blockbusters before other media outlets, there will be a market for them.

 

[Nole Lou]

As long as movie theaters get access to blockbusters before other media outlets, there will be a market for them.

Plus, from what I've seen, younger people are not about the big home theater experience. My girls would watch something on their laptop on netflix, on the couch in front of a turned off 60" TV. For those people, movies might continue to feel special, in addition to the first look that you mentioned.

So as more millenials are watching most of their viewing on phones and tablets, a movie theater screen is still going to be different.

 

[NDallasRuss]

For anyone who had previously subscribed to MoviePass and thought you had cancelled, you may want to check on it. This article says that former subscribers are being opted back into a subscription by the company. It seems pretty unethical to me, but it doesn't appear that they'll be sustainable long enough to really have to defend themselves.

https://gizmodo.com/moviepass-is-now-re-enrolling-former-customers-in-an-un-1829423850

 

[kc78]

That company has now taken the lead for most unethical company in the tech sector. This is like the third time they've tried to stealth re-activate cancelled subscribers to steal some revenue.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

How is this not criminal? Seems like straight up stealing to me.

 

[kc78]

How is this not criminal? Seems like straight up stealing to me.

It might be. They're claiming that their license agreement saying that it can be modified at any time gives them the right to modify it to allow it, but that's highly questionable at best. Supposedly they're saying since people didn't outright cancel, but simply let their accounts go into suspended status that they can put them back on the plan they were on before that they never officially opted out of.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

It might be. They're claiming that their license agreement saying that it can be modified at any time gives them the right to modify it to allow it, but that's highly questionable at best. Supposedly they're saying since people didn't outright cancel, but simply let their accounts go into suspended status that they can put them back on the plan they were on before that they never officially opted out of.

Maybe we should get Columbia House back up and running!

 

[OrlandNole]

It might be. They're claiming that their license agreement saying that it can be modified at any time gives them the right to modify it to allow it, but that's highly questionable at best. Supposedly they're saying since people didn't outright cancel, but simply let their accounts go into suspended status that they can put them back on the plan they were on before that they never officially opted out of.

They don't plan on being around long enough to suffer the PR/legal fallout.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

MP has bled its parent co, HMNY, dry and is now apparently trying to siphon off a few last bucks from its former subscribers before it takes its last breath.

I'd imagine someone will buy them, if for no other reason than their email list. However, this little 'scam' reactivating deactivated accounts isn't going to do them any favors if it results in pending legal actions.

 

[funksouljon]

Maybe we should get Columbia House back up and running!

God I hope not, Ill have to take the "contract with a minor is not valid" position to defend myself for the hundreds of cassettes and dozen accounts I used to have.



The movie pass thing really sounds sleazy. This is further support for the position of "we need govt oversight because companies cannot be trusted to do the right thing."