Industry News

MoviePass removes app’s location capability

MoviePass has opted to remove “unused app location capability” in response to criticism to its use of customer data.

The update to its iOS app come after MoviePass chief executive Mitch Lowe said how the company uses data at an industry conference last week, according to Media Play News.

Lowe said: “We get an enormous amount of information in your GPS by the phone… so we watch how you drive home to the movies. We watch where you go afterwards, and so we know the movies you watch. We know all about you. We don’t sell that data. What we do is we use that data to market film.”

In addition, earlier this month MoviePass removed Jennifer Lawrence blockbuster Red Sparrow from its ticketing inventory in an effort to “better understand member behaviour.”

In a statement the company said: “MoviePass released a new app update, including the removal of some unused app location capabilities.

“While part of our vision includes using location-based marketing to enhance the moviegoing experience for our members, we aren’t using some of that functionality today. Our members will always have the option to choose the location-based services that are right for them today and in the future.”

Last month, MoviePass reported it is selling as many as one in 10 tickets for many movies across US cinemas, according to figures quoted by Lowe.

MoviePass currently has about 2 million subscribers, with Lowe predicting that it will top five million by the end of 2018, speaking last week at an entertainment finance conference in Los Angeles.

Image: MoviePass