MoviePass' e-ticketing feature still lets you see big movies like 'Mission Impossible' that are otherwise banned

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

• MoviePass' e-ticketing feature allows users to purchase tickets on the app without being at the theater.
• Users can also see big movies with e-ticketing that are now otherwise restricted.
• But it's only offered at a select group of participating theater chains.

As movie-theater subscription service MoviePass overhauls its business model, one feature has gone untouched: e-ticketing.

MoviePass' e-ticketing is a way to purchase movie tickets through the app without using the MoviePass card. You can reserve seating when available, and MoviePass says "you can check in from anywhere, like work or home."

But it only works at a select group of participating theater chains.

For those MoviePass users who are near participating e-ticketing theaters, it's one of the worthwhile perks of a service that is undergoing drastic changes, many of which are perceived negatively by frustrated subscribers.

MoviePass recently decided that it would not offer big movies on its service in their first couple weeks of release for the foreseeable future to try and control its cash burn. But MoviePass confirmed to Business Insider that the restriction doesn't apply to e-ticketing, so customers can still enjoy big releases if they are close to a participating theater.

The participating theaters include Goodrich Quality Theaters, Studio Movie Grill, and MJR Theatres. In March, it struck a partnership with the Mark Cuban-owned theater chain Landmark Theatres for e-ticketing and other perks.

These theaters are few and far between. Goodrich has 30 theaters throughout Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. SMG has 30 theaters throughout Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas (13 out of the 30 are in Texas). MJR has 10 locations, all in Michigan. And Landmark has 52 locations in 27 markets.

In an email to customers in May, MoviePass announced additions to its e-ticketing feature, such as: QR code support to "speed up the ticketing process at the kiosk or counter because now you only have to scan your phone"; sofa seating integration, so "theaters with different seating options are now supported and integrated" into the app; and accessibility messaging, in which "seats designated for wheelchair accessibility will now include pop-up messaging to ensure that these seats are not selected by those who do not need them."

Available e-ticketing theaters in your area will appear at the top in the list view of theaters on the app, and with a red and white ticket symbol in the map view. You'll receive a confirmation code with your check-in, and then can head to the box office or kiosk at the theater to pick up your ticket.

For more of Business Insider's MoviePass coverage, click here.