So far, MoviePass has been a revolutionary innovation aimed solely on getting individuals to attend more movie screenings in a local multiplex than they have in the past. By making movie tickets affordable -- thanks to a low monthly subscription fee -- MoviePass encourages frequent attendance, which assists in such areas as concession sales, theater awareness and, hopefully, positive word-of-mouth for blockbusters (like Deadpool 2 or Solo: A Star Wars Story) and indies (like American Animals). In an effort to keep revolutionizing its service, and address a customer service need, MoviePass confirms to CinemaBlend that it will introduce a Family Plan that will enable families of four (or fewer) to purchase all of their tickets at once, all under one account, to make the process more convenient than it is now.
In an exclusive interview with CinemaBlend, Helios and Matheson Analytics CEO Ted Farnsworth, which is the parent company of MoviePass, explained:
We've been working on that one for awhile. So that's a family plan, and it's also the 'bring-a-friend' plan. ... It would be the same [cost] that it is right now. We might do something down the road to get more of a discount for the family plan. ... But it's all the convenience of going with your family. You've got it all in one app, one card, one everything.
It's an obstacle you don't consider in the modern age of going to the movie theater. Because we now, as an audience, have the ability to choose our own seats, what happens when you decide to go to the theaters in a large group? If everybody uses a different app to purchase their own tickets, how do you figure out who sits where? Or, if you are an individual and you subscribe to an unlimited-screenings program, what do you do when your whole family wants to see Incredibles 2 or Solo: A Star Wars Story?
MoviePass believes that a Family Plan, or the Bring-A-Friend option that they plan to unveil, will streamline the process for members who have subscriptions so that they can keep the order on one card, and allow up to four family members to choose their seats together at the time of order.
Ted Farnsworth explained that, for now, the Family Plan will still require each member to have an individual MoviePass subscription, at the current rate of $9.95 a month. And the limitations would still be in effect: One new movie, once a day, every day. But this new Family Plan would allow a group to bundle the tickets together in their order, in an effort to boost convenience. And in time, a discount rate might be applied to the Family Plan (but not right away).
MoviePass representatives tell CinemaBlend that the company expects to unveil the Family Plan and Bring-A-Friend programs within the month, so if you think that these bundle opportunities will make MoviePass an easier system for your family to use, be on the lookout for news of the program's launch. We will have more from our conversation with MoviePass's Ted Farnsworth in the coming days.
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