There's been a lot in the news lately about MoviePass as the ticket subscription service makes numerous changes to its plan. After briefly running out of money one night last month, the service has been trying to find a balance between being affordable yet sustainable. The service has made a few changes to its original plan of unlimited movies for a monthly fee, but annual subscribers have largely escaped these changes. Now, the service is limiting users to three movies per month, and the change has officially reached yearly subscribers.
In a statement MoviePass released to its customers on Friday night, the ticket subscription service is making changes to its plan that will affect all users. Annual subscription users are now limited to three movies a month, whereas before Friday nights announcement these users had unlimited movies per month. Additionally, should a user want to see beyond three films, they will receive up to a $5.00 discount on their ticket. MoviePass wrote that it believes that it is" a positive change in the right direction," and that it "captures the needs and desires" of its user base.
For any users who weren't happy with the new plan, MoviePass offered them a way out. The service will give annual users the option of canceling their subscription, and they will receive a prorated refund. Canceling now also prevents users from automatically being renewed for another nine months once their initial subscription is over. The offer is valid until August 31.
This is the latest change that MoviePass has made to its platform in order to build a more sustainable business model. On August 23, it announced that users had up to nine movies to choose from daily. The service has been limiting access to bigger releases, such as preventing users from seeing Mission: Impossible - Fallout and Crazy Rich Asians on opening weekend.
Previously, MoviePass attempted to change its subscription price to $14.95 a month but then slide it back down to $9.95. The service has been trying to settle on a new formula after it had to borrow $6.2 million last month. Competition in the ticket subscription space has been heating up this summer with AMC Stubs A-List and Sinemia, so it'll be interesting to see how many annual users stick with MoviePass following the change. There's been an increase in theater attendance this summer and one has to wonder who much of that is due to these new services.
The saga of MoviePass continues, and it seems like there's always something going on with the company. Stick with CinemaBlend, and we will keep you up to date on all the latest information as soon as it becomes available. Meanwhile, the summer is winding down, but here are the movies to look forward to for the rest of the year.
