The Movie Pass Effect

            I could try to romanticize going to the movies to hide some of the less flattering aspects of it. The smell of old, buttery popcorn and the crunch of stale candy when you walk into the auditorium. The chance that while you’re sitting down, someone who drank way too many sodas earlier has to constantly walk between you and the screen when nature calls. Then of course, a little kid who trots along the isle behind you occasionally screaming “Wakanda forever!” in your ear (I may have experienced this one). There are opportunity costs for going to the movies rather than staying home, but the benefits of top grade sound and visuals can be possibly paired with better pricing in the near future in the form of movie theater subscription plans.

            With movie streaming services like Netflix and Hulu becoming more and more integrated in American culture, the movie theater industry has started to combat these sites with their own subscription plans for customers. One of the most notable and newsworthy companies offering a movie subscription is MoviePass. Opening in 2016, the company offered moviegoers a fantastic value with a monthly fee of $10 to see as many movies as desired. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, that’s because it was. In July of this year, the company went through a shaky period where it did not have enough cash to pay for subscription holders’ movie theater visits, and it’s bitter sweet because the idea behind MoviePass is great by providing customers with incentives to go back to the movies.

            I don’t plan to talk about the business side of MoviePass; however, do check out the link below to watch a video from the YouTube channel Nerd Writer to learn more about the company’s business model and other financial related information. It’s very insightful and gives this short essay more context. Instead, I want to discuss how the business model behind a subscription plan is a great idea for keeping theaters culturally relevant in 2018.

            First off, I love being able to stream movies on my laptop, home console, and smartphone. The opportunity it’s given me to watch films that I either cannot find elsewhere or making movie viewing affordable to someone with my socioeconomic status is astounding. Those luxuries that I just mentioned, movie theaters have a hard time competing with, but for the type of moviegoer who sees on average two or more films a month like myself, it is likely we’d end up seeing a movie in theaters subscription or no subscription (although a subscription plan is great). However, this demographic makes up a small percentage of consumers.

            The average American sees at the most six movies a year, and theaters want to attract these types of consumers who make up this majority. Getting this section of the market is the great part about subscription-based plans to generate more interest amongst the public because of the price point. Getting customers like these into a theater does obviously means more revenue, but it also continues to keep the act of going to the movies relevant in our culture. I would be happy to see a business model that would make subscriptions work for both consumers and businesses. Other theaters like AMC and Cinemarks have started to adopt this idea, and I hope its popularity continues. People have been going to the movies since the early 1900’s and this trend in the market towards a movie theater subscription would help to continue movie theater relevance.  

             Sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264396/frequency-of-going-to-the-movies-in-the-us/

         NerdWriter Vid (also used as source): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w876zZZIb10&t=59s

           

           

           

           

           

           

Oh Hai Mark: Why I Appreciate Bad Films

         On a Friday bus ride home from school, my friend invited me to his house that evening to watch a movie that, from a general consensus by fans, was the worst movie ever made. He began to explain the bizarre background of The Room speaking of an Eastern European, Dracula resembling, drunk Johnny Depp looking man named Tommy Wiseau. Mr. Wiseau directed, wrote, produced, and financed his own drama film about a banker named Johnny and his hilarious journey from happiness to darkness. My friend continued to explain that originally released 8 years earlier, the film had recently started to receive cult status for the terrible script and acting. Mr. Wiseau even traveled promoting and playing his movie to audiences who adored it and that viewing The Room in a theater was an “active” experience with fans throwing spoons at the screen during specific scenes. Confused as to why my friend would want to watch a bad film puzzled me; However, being a senior in high school with a Friday night life consisting of video game binging with the occasional walk to the convenience store, I had a lot of free time. He told me to arrive at his house that evening with movie snacks and to be ready for the unexpected.

            That night, with a few of our friends joining us, we started The Room. The intro credits began to roll with Wiseau Films, Tommy’s production company, flashing onto the screen in a giant font with a pixelated looking Earth in the background. Tommy’s name came onto the screen 5 separate times for production credits along with an optimistic sounding piano theme accompanying stock footage of San Francisco. I became apprehensive that this man’s ego was going to punch me; Then, the first scene took place. “Hi babe. I’ve got a surprise for you,” Johnny says to his future wife Lisa with the accent of a lean drinking Dracula. “Anything for my princesssssss,” he tells his fiancé with their neighbor/adopted man-child son Denny awkwardly present while Johnny hands her flowers. No human being speaks to anyone like this, nor did characters exist like this in other films I had watched. This caused all of us in the room (no pun intended) to start laughing and question the absurdity of not just the dialogue but the story itself. As the movie continued, each scene was filled with terrible dialogue, awkward acting, and terrible green screen with highlights including the flower shop scene to the infamously bad rooftop drug bust scene. We could not help but yell absurdities and laugh. With us all questioning how this film was even made, I began to understand what made this movie so special.

Movies tend to be solitary experiences even if you are sitting at home with friends or family. We sit quietly together, and if anyone begins to speak during a movie, they tend to be greeted with an aggressive “Shhhhhhh” or an annoyed look. For movies that are genuinely good, I understand being quiet; however, with The Room, and other bad films, it’s the complete opposite. When watching this movie and others like it, the desire to talk and discuss the amount of craziness is needed, and that feeling is mutual among everyone. “What just happened?”, “Is that the same footage from the last 2 sex scenes?”, and my favorite unanswered question, “Did Lisa’s mother ever die from breast cancer?” (maybe fan-fiction out there will answer this for me someday). I’ve seen bad films by myself and believe me, you need to express your thoughts to another sane person. 
Bad movies like The Room are meant to be experienced with friends talking out loud, starting a dialogue of ideas that can be shared in the moment, regardless of missing the plot. Trust me, there is not a comprehensive story with bad movies. This makes these films an active experience for moviegoers and establishes the So Bad, It’s Good movies as a unique genre. My advice to you reading this is to begin your search and start your bad movie journey. The memories I have created by watching not just The Room but other bad films have been memorable because of those I have shared the experience with. I hope that you and your friends can discover the sheer dumb fun of bad movies.

Some recommended bad films:

1.     Directed and starring Tommy Wiseau, The Room (2003)

2.     Starring Nicolas Cage, The Wicker Man (2006)

3.     Directed and starring Neil Breen, Fateful Findings (2013)

4.     Starring Christopher Reeve, Superman 4: The Quest for Peace (1987)