A Movie Buffet?

I pay netflix $11/month for unlimited dvds (1 at a time) and unlimited instant play, which is essentially all I can watch. Really, I could probably step down to a $6 plan and still get to see all the movies I'd like...

Uh, no, I wouldn't buy it. What's the point? Netflix is all-you-can-watch too, and for far, far cheaper.

Watching a movie at home is not the same as going to one in a theatre, so I wouldn't compare it to Netflix. So for those that love the movies and are not afraid to leave their house, I think it's a great idea.

My university had something like this - a $26 movie pass where you could watch as many as you wanted in a quarter (10 weeks) Movies were $5 each, so if you watched at least 6 it was a deal. However, I was always too busy with my work to go to six movies!

Once you have your own home, the only advantage a theater has is a big screen. The advantages of watching Netflix movies at home are the ability to pause, to rerun, to select your own snacks at lower prices, to recline, to watch alone or with people of your choosing, to adjust the volume, and you have a much wider selection of films. And sometimes the screen is even better at home.

This already exists here in France.
It started 6 to 7 years ago I think.
Each major movie Theater brand has its own "all you can watch" pass.
The price is around 20 €/month ($28) or 35€ ($50) for 2.
1 ticket full fare is around 10€ currently.
It took on quite well.
I don't have one myself as most of the time, you have either only crap films or too many good ones to watch during the same month.
A number of my friends have one. They go to any (things they would not even have considered otherwise) just to justify the cost of the pass. When I ask how they can stay for the full show, they always have this once in a lifetime story about how they discovered this great movie no one knows about by picking the crappiest looking poster.

Even if I was retired and had the time to see every movie I wanted to see this wouldn't pay off for me. At matinee prices in my area I'd need to see 64 movies a year before I was ahead and that's just too many. However I still vote for seeing movies in a theater. It's an experience I love, more than my friend's home theater with his 65" flat screen and surround sound.

Are they serious? I am an Amazon Prime customer ($79 a year) which I joined for the free second-day air shipping privilege. With that I get unlimited Amazon On Demand video. Why would I pay $50 a month to view movies?

I enjoy going to the movies outside my home, so I might consider doing this despite being a Netflix subscriber. Moves are $12 or more now in Manhattan so seeing a little more than one flim a week (totally doable) makes it worth it. Of course, the films need to be worth watching...

So, parents can have daycare for only $50 a month?

I don't think I'd buy it. For our family of 4 it would be $200 a month. Not a deal.

The important point many folks are missing (probably because the author failed to mention it here) is that these are movies in the theater, not movies at home via streaming or disc. A rather glaring omission, author.

That said, I don't think I go through $50 worth of theater tickets per month, so no.

Around here ticket prices are still under $10 so I would have to see at least six films to get my money's worth. I like the idea but the price is too high. I think theaters would make more money on this ticket model because most people just won't go to enough movies to make up the price of the pass. Maybe if they throw in a soda with every movie it would be a better deal.

Convenience of at home viewing aside, films are not shot to be watched at home. The cinematic apparatus is a big part of the viewing experience that cannot be replicated sitting in your living room. Unless you have an actual home theatre you will be missing part of the experience of watching a film.

No I don't go to the cinema at all, to make that worth it.

$50 is a good part of a cable TV or Internet+Netflix subscription. I would sooner spend it on that.