What's New in MoviePass Revamp as Service Returns

MoviePass, the beleaguered movie ticket subscription service that flamed out in a flurry of financial troubles in 2019, has set a return date for its reimagined service, with a new structure in place.

MoviePass was first launched in 2011 as a service that would allow users to see three movies in theaters per month for a monthly fee. The service's notoriety skyrocketed in August 2017 when it launched a new, extremely enticing, and oft-questioned new offering: a subscription that allowed users to see one movie per day for only $9.95-a-month.

The service quickly spiked in use, but the plans that the company had to eventually make the service profitable never came to pass. Around the time of the release of Mission: Impossible—Fallout in July 2018, the service became plagued with technical issues and began locking many users out of showtimes that were deemed to be too popular. The service was ultimately shuttered in September 2019, replaced by more expensive, but more sustainable, offerings like AMC Stubs A-List and Regal Unlimited.

Now, however, the service is set to relaunch on Labor Day as a beta, with new pricing tiers and offerings, according to a report from Business Insider. The new MoviePass will offer subscription tiers costing $10, $20, and $30 per month, with each offering a varying amount of movie ticket credits per month. For the time being, the service will not offer any unlimited service, at least while the new service is in beta. The amount of credit available at each price point has not been disclosed.

A wait list for moviegoers interested in taking part in the beta period will open on the official MoviePass website at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, and will remain open for people to join for five days. Users invited to take part in the beta will also be able to invite 10 friends to join as well. In a statement to Newsweek, MoviePass said that further details, including the amount of credits available per month and the expected length of the beta period, will be discussed closer to launch.

Like the earlier version of MoviePass, the new service will send users a MoviePass-branded credit card which, after the user chooses a showtime in the official app, can be used to purchase a ticket at any theater that accepts MasterCard. The company also claims to have partnerships with 25 percent of theaters in the U.S.

Stacy Spikes, the returning CEO of MoviePass, first announced the company's intention to relaunch the service earlier in the year. The announcement generated significant criticism at the time, as Spikes suggested that the methods under consideration to help make the service sustainable included a system that would have users watch ads to generate credits, one which would use eye-tracking to make sure users were paying attention. It is not clear at this time if the new service will use this feature.

MoviePass's attempt to relaunch itself comes at a time when theaters are struggling to stay afloat amid a drought of major releases. After a strong post-pandemic summer buoyed by blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, no major tentpoles are expected to hit screens until the mid-October releases of Halloween Ends and Black Adam.

Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas, recently announced that it is considering bankruptcy protections during this turbulent time. This news sent waves throughout the exhibition industry, with AMC's stock dropping 30 percent.

Updated 08/23/2022, 5:54 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with a statement from MoviePass.