美国国家公共电台 NPR--Moviepass is back after its bankruptcy. The CEO says this time will be different

Moviepass is back after its bankruptcy¹. The CEO says this time will be different

Transcript²

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with MoviePass co-founder and CEO Stacy Spikes³ about the return of the service after its bankruptcy in 2020.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Any movie, any theater, anytime you want for 10 bucks⁴ a month - that was a sales pitch of subscription⁵ service MoviePass back in 2017, and millions signed up. Now, if that all sounds too good to be true, it's because it was. The company burned through millions of dollars and went bankrupt in 2020. But now they're back. And CEO and co-founder Stacy Spikes says this time will be different. Our co-host Leila Fadel asked him how.

STACY SPIKES: There will be tiered plans. You can sign up for whatever you want, and the ranges will be $10, $20 or $30. And there'll be a number of credits that you will receive. And so if I want to go only on Friday night of opening weekend, I'm probably going to use the maximum number of credits if you think of peak and off-peak pricing. But let's say I don't have a problem going see that movie a few days later on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday night. I can use far fewer credits because the theaters are more open to allowing a lower price.

LEILA FADEL, BYLINE⁶: Because, you know, the theaters, I imagine, weren't making money in the old version.

SPIKES: Well, the problem with the old version was MoviePass was paying full price for those tickets.

FADEL: So MoviePass wasn't making money.

SPIKES: No, they had not negotiated. So this time around, even prior to launch, we've negotiated partnerships⁷ with more than 25% of all the theaters. If you take out AMC, Regal and Cinemark, we've got 40% market share outside of the big three.

FADEL: But those big theater chains do have these, like, MoviePass-esque subscriptions⁸.

SPIKES: Yeah.

FADEL: Can this new service compete with what they have already out there?

SPIKES: Yeah. What we've found is the consumer tends to go to three to four different movie theaters over the course of a year. So you'll have your summer blockbuster theaters. You'll have your arthouse theaters. And so what we found - moviegoers like variety, and if you live somewhere and AMC or Regal is all you need, then you'll be fine sticking with that. But if you want the freedom to go wherever you want and find the same value, then you're going to want something like MoviePass.

FADEL: So in the pandemic, people stopped going to the movies because of health concerns, and attendance is still down. And the number of movies that are being made for the theater still down. And people have less money to spend because of this record inflation. So what's the draw here to sign up for the service?

SPIKES: Moviegoing has always done really well during rough economies. People like to escape. It's still the least expensive form of out-of-home entertainment there is. Going to a sporting event or to a Broadway play or to the opera is still going to be a $100-plus ticket. So we think it's a wonderful time to get started again. And we think that the fact that times are hard is why a service that lets people get away and get back and helps the theater and the consumer at the same time is really important to launch right now.

FADEL: That was MoviePass co-founder and CEO Stacy Spikes. Stacy, thanks so much.

SPIKES: Leila, thank you. I really appreciate, and I'll see you at the movies.

1 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

8 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》