MoviePass has made its long-awaited return with the launch of a new subscription service in the United States.
We first saw the service as a limited beta all the way back in September 2022. It looks like the current version is mostly the same as the original, albeit a bit more extensive. The way it works is that you pay a monthly fee to watch a certain number of movies in theaters without having to buy a ticket. There are four levels with prices ranging from $10 to $40. However, instead of giving people a set number of movies to watch in a month, MoviePass opts for a credit system where each tier gives users a set amount to use.
The $10 Basic tier offers the least, with 34 credits that allow people to watch anywhere from one to three movies per month. The $20 Standard plan gives 72 credits for three to seven viewings per month. Premium ($30 per month) gives 113 credits for five to eleven movies.
The most expensive plan, the $40 Pro, gives 640 credits that allow people to watch up to 30 movies in 30 days. You can see Pro as the “spiritual successor” to the previous (and disastrous) version of MoviePass.
Varying costs
A MoviePass rep told us that the cost (in credits) of a single movie is tied to the “day of the week” plus what time you watch, though they didn’t provide any further details. A recent report from TechCrunch claims Tuesdays are the cheapest, while opening weekends are one of the more expensive options. Unused credits will roll over to the next month. Stacy Spikes, CEO of the company, told TechCrunch that people can have “up to two months’ worth of unused credits on their account.”
These prices are for the general user in the US. The plans are more expensive if you live in Southern California or the New York metropolitan area. Basic is $20, Standard is $30, Premium is $40 and Pro is $60 with no option to buy a cheaper level, according to a company representative. But users in those areas get roughly double the amount of credits. For example, Standard offers 140 in Los Angeles instead of 72.
Availability
As for why MoviePass adopts this system, the company states that members can “choose the plan that best suits their viewing habits and budget.” The idea is whether you’re a casual theater-goer or a movie nerd, there’s something for everyone.
There are a few things we haven’t mentioned yet. You can’t look 3D movies with the subscription, though there are plans to include “large format and premium screens” (presumably IMAX) soon. The service is supported by more than 4,000 theaters across the country. a complete list of each location can be found on the official website. The service is now open – just in time for Memorial Day. This holiday should be an interesting proving ground for MoviePass.
We asked the same rep if they could give us exact figures on how much it would cost to watch a movie, because that’s the one piece of information that’s oddly missing from all of this. And whether there are plans for an international launch. This story will be updated at a later date.
