MoviePass competitor Sinemia lets theaters create individual subscription services

Sinemia.
Sinemia

• Movie-ticket subscription service, Sinemia, unveiled a way
  for any movie theater in the country to start its own
  subscription plan.
• Sinemia Enterprise allows theaters to set specific pricing
  plans for any style of movie showing, with Sinemia providing
  customer relationship management tools and fraud detection.

On Thursday, movie-ticket subscription service Sinemia unveiled a
software platform that allows movie theaters to launch their own
subscription services.


With “Sinemia Enterprise,” the company boasts
that a theater can start its own subscription plan within two
weeks, just like big chains AMC and Cinemark did in response to
MoviePass. The service can be used through iOS and Android apps
and can support all movie showings: from standard 2D, to 3D,
IMAX, or 4DX.

According to Sinemia, theaters will be able to customize any kind
of ticketing or pricing plan using Sinemia tech, including plans
for couples and families. The tech will integrate directly with
the theater’s point-of-sale system, so subscribers can buy
tickets and reserve seats in the Sinemia app without using a
physical card. 

And Sinemia Enterprise will include customer relationship
management tools as well as fraud detection.

Sinemia is currently working with theaters in the US and abroad
to implement subscription plans that are set to launch later this
month, the company said. Sinemia did not respond to multiple
requests for clarification from Business Insider on how it will
make money from the service, and what fees it will charge
theaters.

“When we launched Sinemia, our mission was to help as many
moviegoers as possible enjoy an affordable and better experience
at the films by providing a subscription app that integrates an
offline and online experience,” said Rifat Oguz, CEO and founder
of Sinemia. “By partnering with theaters around the globe, we
believe we can help more moviegoers, which will help us create a
bigger economy for the entire industry.”

This is a new tactic by a movie-ticket subscription service to
get a foothold in the industry. As opposed to MoviePass, which
tried to force its way into the business by building a
subscription base so large that movie theaters and studios would
have to respect it, Sinemia is looking to get in using a more
gentle approach.

One industry insider told Business Insider that the move by
Sinemia is one many saw happening at some point, as the
movie-ticket subscription craze continues. With many
independently owned theaters lacking the infrastructure to launch
their own plans, having a company step in as a third party was
not a surprise.

Now it’s wait-and-see time for how the studios will react.
Sinemia Enterprise has the potential to lead to more ticket
sales, benefitting both studios and theaters. But if it gets to a
point where the studios are not getting the same return on ticket
sales, they will make themselves known.