Original Reporting by Melissa Miller
MoviePass, the once-popular movie subscription service, is officially back in action. Potentially for good this time? If you’ve been itching for a return to the movies, you can see if the new MoviePass Beta, now available to the public, works for you. MoviePass has launched nationwide in over 4,000 theaters. And these include AMC Theatres, Cinemark, and Regal Cinemas. Currently, there are four different plans available to choose from. Here’s what we know about the new MoviePass.
Per a report in Variety, we learned that Stacy Spikes returns to run the service. MoviePass filed for bankruptcy in 2020. In its last few years, subscribers were frustrated by changes to plan options and blacked out showings. There were also service disruptions and lawsuits claiming bait-and-switch practices.
But chronic moviegoers may give the service a second chance. According to the official website, the service will work at all theaters that accept credit cards. MoviePass reveals there are four different plans: Basic, Standard, Premium, and Pro. And these will let you watch anywhere from one to 30 movies per month. According to MoviePass’ website, the price point for these plans ranges from $10-40 per month. However, if you live in NYC or Southern California, the cost of MoviePass’ new offerings ranges from $20-60 instead. That’s the price you pay, we suppose.
The plans each feature a certain amount of credits that can be used to watch a movie. How many credits a movie costs will depend on factors such as time, day, and, eventually, screen type. Additionally, “Up to 2 months of your unused credits will roll over. For example, if your plan is for 23 credits per month, you can have up to 46 credits in your account.” Right now, this Beta only includes 2D screens, but “access to large format & premium screens is coming soon.”
MoviePass’s popularity prompted big theater chains like AMC to create their own subscription services. AMC’s Stubs A-List club is still running. It offers up to three movies per week, including IMAX releases. It also allows for seeing the same movie multiple times and more than one movie per day, both features that the previous version of MoviePass didn’t include. AMC’s price point is $19.95 per month, but again varies based on zip code. The priority line for popcorn may be the best perk, though. We’ll see if MoviePass can compete.
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