Subscription movie ticket service MoviePass first launched in 2017, offering subscribers unrestricted movie access for $9.99 per month. MoviePass was providing customers with debit cards and paying full price for each movie ticket despite the low monthly fee, and the effort ultimately failed catastrophically within a matter of months.
MoviePass had been counting on deals with movie theaters and revenue from customer data, but by mid-2018, MoviePass was out of money and had to resort to limiting movie access, raising prices, and temporarily shutting down. After months of questionable policy changes, MoviePass shut down in September 2019, but now the service is set to return.
MoviePass is planning to launch a new beta service "on or around" September 5, 2022. A waitlist for the beta service is set to open on August 25 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and customers can join the waitlist at that point.
According to an FAQ section on the MoviePass website, the upcoming service will feature three pricing tiers at $10, $20, and $30. Each level will get a certain amount of credits to be able to be used toward movies each month, with MoviePass promising more details in the future.
The launch will happen in waves, and MoviePass says the launch determination will be weighted on level of engagement from the waitlist in each market.
Prior MoviePass subscribers will receive complimentary bonus credits to their accounts when they join the new service.
It is not clear how MoviePass will survive this time around nor what the service will be able to offer that's not already available from other theaters. Companies like Alamo Drafthouse, Cinemark, Showcase, Showplace ICON, Regal, and AMC all offer subscription-based movie passes.
