19 Reasons You Need to Have MoviePass

In these days of digital streaming and comfy home theaters, the movie theater attendance numbers are on the decline. One innovation aimed at bucking that trend has come in the form of MoviePass, an app that lets users see unlimited movies at participating theaters for a flat monthly fee. Though the service has seen a huge uptick in traffic since its precipitous price drop in mid-2017, there are still many frugal film enthusiasts not yet on board. Here are all the reasons to join now.

In August 2017, MoviePass slashed the price of their monthly subscription from $50 to just $9.95, only a dollar more than the national average of $8.84 per movie ticket. That means subscribers need only see two movies with MoviePass to get more than their money's worth -- or just one in most metropolitan areas, where ticket prices often exceed $10.

To start using MoviePass, download the app and sign up for a monthly subscription. A physical MoviePass card will be in the mail to you shortly. Bring the card and your phone within 100 yards of any participating theater, and through the app check in for whatever film and showtime you want to attend. MoviePass then automatically loads your card with the full cost of a single ticket, which is then paid to the theater. Having a tangible charge card for this purpose makes the process much simpler, as there's no need to show your phone to a ticket taker who might not be familiar with the technology.

The only stipulation on the app's offer of unlimited movies is that subscribers can't use MoviePass to see more than one film per day. Still, that means a devoted MoviePass owner could still theoretically see 31 movies in a single month for only $9.95.

MoviePass has no blackout dates at participating theaters. It won't, however, allow access to 3-D, IMAX, or other kinds of "premium" screenings, which will be grayed out in the app. It also can't be used to buy advance movie tickets beyond the current date, meaning MoviePass won't help in securing a seat for the opening night screenings of major blockbusters.

According to MoviePass, their service works at a whopping 91 percent of theaters across the country, encompassing major cinema chains like AMC and smaller independent locations. However, the list often excludes premium chains like Arclight and Landmark. Prospective users can check how many theaters MoviePass covers in their area using an online map of participating locations for zip codes across the country.

Once you've subscribed, the MoviePass app will also provide a full list of theaters where you can start catching discounted movies. Having all participating theaters and movie screenings accessible within the app --rather than requiring you to cross-reference with IMDb -- simplifies the process of finding the next film to watch.

Do you ever have trouble remembering what movies you've seen? MoviePass keeps a record of all the films you've seen through their subscription service on the "Viewing History" page. This makes it easy to keep track of your movie-viewing habits, as well as all the money you've saved by seeing films for the flat rate.

Though MoviePass usually requires users to first be at a theater to check-in for a screening, a select few theater chains (denoted by a red ticket icon in the app) are eligible for e-ticketing. This means you can check in to a film and reserve a specific seat in the theater before arriving, generating a redemption code that you'll use instead of the physical card for entry into the screening.

A monthly MoviePass subscription is easy to cancel and requires no commitment beyond the thirty days. The only catch is that to prevent users from signing up for and canceling subscriptions seasonally, MoviePass enforces a nine-month waiting period before you can subscribe again after cancelling.

If you're planning on keeping your MoviePass for a while, it's easy to save on subscription fees by signing up for a longer commitment using a Costco membership. At Costco locations or through their website, it costs only $89.99 for a full-year's subscription to MoviePass as well as the independent-minded streaming service Fandor.

Checking in for the MoviePass app doesn't guarantee a ticket if your selected screening is sold out. If this is the case, or if you've simply decided not to see a film you already checked in for, MoviePass makes it easy to cancel by pressing "Sold Out? Changed Mind?" on their check-in screen, freeing you to see another film that day.

The MoviePass app can be subject to bugs, sometimes excluding certain screenings or failing to load a card with the full cost of a ticket. Luckily, users can reach out to the company through the app's chat feature to be reimbursed for any ticket prices they were mistakenly forced to pay out of pocket. Just remember to save the stub and receipt.

MoviePass has a bill date every month for users to pay subscription fees, but missing the date won't result in penalties. At worst, you'll have to pay for a movie out of pocket until you can bring the account up-to-date, at which point MoviePass will reimburse you for the tickets purchased in the interim.

MoviePass was a pretty good deal even when it cost $50 per month. With the $9.95 subscription price, the number of subscribers multiplied from 20,000 to 600,000 in a mere two months, and is suspected to exceed 3 million by summer's end. It's unlikely the price will stay this low as MoviePass becomes more established, however.

MoviePass empowers its subscribers to go out to the theater when otherwise they might stay home. Enlist your friends to sign up for MoviePass, and you're more likely to make the most of it, too.

Though AMC maligned MoviePass as "not in the best interest of moviegoers," the theater chain is likely just sour at the company for usurping their plans to offer their own more expensive, AMC-only subscription service. MoviePass surpasses such potential competition by offering something broader and more cost-effective than a single-theater loyalty program.

No need to feel guilty about seeing unlimited films for so cheap -- the service is playing the long game and currently operates at a loss by paying the full ticket price for films their subscribers see, so users can rest easy knowing they've supported the filmmakers, while exhibitors make more money than before with the associated increase in movie-going.

MoviePass may offer the right kind of change for a floundering film industry. Last fall, 75 percent of 300,000 new subscribers were millennials, a money-conscious share of the market that film studios otherwise are struggling to reach. MoviePass seems to prove they still want to see movies, just for less.

The service seems to incentivize subscribers to see more small, independent movies without hurting the box office of big blockbusters, which have the advertising to attract audiences with or without MoviePass. Indiewire reports that one weekend in November, MoviePass only accounted for 1 percent of ticket sales for "Thor: Ragnorok," but 8 percent for the coming-of-age drama "Lady Bird."