The new MoviePass works on a credit system and there are four different subscription tiers: Basic ($10 per month/34 credits), Standard ($20 per month/72 credits), Premium ($30 per month/113 credits), and Pro ($40 per month/640 credits). Basically, seeing a movie at a given theater, at a given time, will cost a certain number of credits. More desirable times cost more credits and the amount of credits needed fluctuates. The Basic plan users can, as a result, expect to be able to see between one and three movies per month, depending on the cost per movie.
Unused credits will roll over into the new month, with a user able to stack up a maximum of two months’ worth of credits. Plans are also more expensive in certain cities, such as New York City. Subscribers will be sent a card in the mail, which they will use to pay for the ticket at the theater. Certain theaters allow for online reservations through the app though.
As previous users of the service will surely recall, things started out nice as MoviePass offered a remarkably cheap way to see lots of movies. Unfortunately, that business model was also remarkably unsustainable. The service ran into numerous issues, the stock plummeted, and things came to a grinding halt in 2019. Since then, other theater chains have started their own subscription services, including AMC Stubbs A-List and the Alamo Season Pass at the Alamo Drafthouse. MoviePass now has competition, but those services also proved that a sustainable model is possible.
Will things actually work this time around? The jury is still out. This could prove to be helpful in getting the box office back to pre-pandemic levels. Then again, lots of previous subscribers may have understandable trust issues. We’ll see how it goes in the coming weeks.
Those interested can subscribe at MoviePass.com.
