Let's run some numbers. MoviePass will buy all your movies in a month for $10. They plan to make it back on monetized data. So one user ups his monthly movie c

Let's run some numbers. MoviePass will buy all your movies in a month for $10. They plan to make it back on monetized data. So one user ups his monthly movie consumption from 1 to 12. Let's say they get tickets at a bargain, $10 each. MP is paying > $100 a month to find out what movies this guy wants to see but isn't actually willing to pay for.[0] That's puzzling enough, but, sure, data is a fun paradox, some kind of ubiquitous unobtanium, so for all I know they're getting it cheap. The actor in this story that really confuses me is AMC. "Not welcome here?" Why again? Listen AMC, I'm going to let you in on something. For every $10 "someone" pays MoviePass, they are willing to buy 30 tickets. No, look, no. I'm not saying "use proxies," like Redbox did to buy DVDs when the studios tried to cut them out of the system.[1] Because, while I have no idea whether that's legal, I do know you're terrified of "value" customers filling seats. Discount entertainment terrifies you because you make almost nothing on ticket sales and all your profit from high-priced concessions. You need whales in seats. It's classic f2p, just somehow with a magically sustainable[2] exorbitant cost of admission tacked on to help you rent content at a ridiculous premium.[3] So--drumoll--just advertise (hand out?) MoviePass subscriptions when people buy concessions. Anyone who already eats your food is already a w--, er, your target.[4] Not only will you get the MP ticket sales, so you can show foot traffic,[5] but also, bonus!--this will free up more of your customers' income for those ridiculously priced concessions. [0] I have some cars I'd love to own, so if anyone wants to buy them for me, I will let them know which ones. I'll sign a contract for exclusive use of that data and everything. [1] http://www.slashfilm.com/retail-conspires-against-redbox-by-limiting-dvd-purchases/ http://www.slashfilm.com/retail-conspires-against-redbox-by-... Honestly though, the studios are probably already using proxies to buy MP subscriptions, just like how publishing companies buy their own books in bulk to drive up numbers. [1a] If not, ahem, studios, I'm going to let you in on something... [1a] http://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-handbook-for-mortals-bestseller-ya-20170824-story.html http://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-handbook-for-mortals-b... [2] Well, "sustainable" is TBD. But hey, people still buy cable for some reason. Ok, bad analogy. Uh, people still listen to AM radio? Hang in there, you too can be the niche medium of the future. Just start advertising dubious health and investment products before the films, you'll get there. [3] Sidenote - This whole new releases model -- Basically the studios are trying to free ride on marketing? Which is the magic sauce that turns lousy movies into hits, so says NPR.[3a] What if AMC just played old indie marathons like the drive in, or the campus theater, for like a dollar a ticket, but advertised the hell out of them? Oh, right, value customers... Ok, go the other way. Follow the Karaoke Bangs where you can just stream whatever you want on a big screen in a small room, hang out with your friends, and maybe add steak dinners and champagne on demand. Just become a full service restaurant with private rooms that look like people's fantasy living room already. [3a] https://www.npr.org/2015/08/21/433402308/how-marketing-machines-can-make-lousy-movies-financially-successful https://www.npr.org/2015/08/21/433402308/how-marketing-machi... [4] Here's where I clumsily avoid turning 'whale' into some kind of lazy fat joke. Look, weight is tough, no one needs to pile on. But also look, AMC has promotions for bags of popcorn with over a thousand Calories and drinks that are nearly a liter and a half. Sure, popcorn is for "sharing," but how does 54 oz of sugar water fit in any healthy diet? You're making Big Tobacco look like... like... Michael Pollan. Atul Gawande? Something something health expert. [5] Welcome to the late 2010s, where the theory that eyeballs are better than revenue has been conclusively proven beyond any doubt, even if no one fully understands how.