When MoviePass lowered its price to $10 a month, it gained a lot of new subscribers. Unfortunately, some of its recent behavior is angering a number of its members. MoviePass users have reported that the app is preventing them from purchasing ticket’s to Jennifer Lawrence’s recent spy flick, Red Sparrow.
@MoviePass_CS @MoviePass why is every showing of Red Sparrow listed as not supported by MoviePass? It appears to be regional, as other users in major cities have no issues, yet every theater here within 15 miles is unavailable.
— Garrett Bridges (@garrettbridges) March 2, 2018
Last month, some users reported similar problems with Marvel’s Black Panther.
@MoviePass why is Black Panther blacked out for me at this location but other movies are not?? pic.twitter.com/z4vBVRBJgd
— Raychl (@Raychl_Rockstar) February 22, 2018
In a statement released to Slash Film, MoviePass said that the company would occasionally remove some movies in certain regions to get a better sense of what their members want.
“We occasionally remove some films from our ticketing inventory in some markets for a limited time, similar to how we organically promote films in certain markets to better understand member behavior,” MoviePass told Slash Film. “As part of this ongoing testing, we have stepped up our efforts to remind members to always double-check the MoviePass app to confirm that their preferred showtimes and theaters are available for the movie they are planning to see before they leave for the theater.”
Some users have speculated that MoviePass’s decision is less about market testing, and more about reminding theater chains such as AMC just how many customers the app can bring to their theaters.
across the country last night multiple theaters had Red Sparrow blocked out for use with moviepass but Death Wish, the other major release, not blocked at all. No special screening types, standard showtimes, just blocked out by the service.
— Garon Cockrell (@MyNameIsGaron) March 2, 2018
In addition to the problems with Red Sparrow, MoviePass has brought back a long-maligned feature requiring users to upload images of their tickets to the apps as a means of combating fraud.
@slashfilm andddd the worst part about MoviePass (before it’s new $9.99 price point) has returned. pic.twitter.com/YiYvaRdDpq
— Chase has Dunnette and seen it all! (@ChaseDunnette) March 1, 2018
