MoviePass Is Back Again, Somehow

Anyone remember an exciting product called MoviePass that was introduced late last decade? It promised to let subscribers see as many movies in theaters as they wanted as long as they paid a flat fee per month. This fee was $9.99, the cost of one movie (on matinee hours), which felt too good to be true.

Turned out it was. MoviePass set the bar too low and couldn’t maintain profitability at $9.99, forcing them to raise the price, angering consumers — and then 2020 happened and no one went to theaters at all. The whole operation filed for bankruptcy that year, and faded into the fog.

Until today! Now that the theater business is somewhat healthy again, the powers that be have decided to give MoviePass another go. This time, they’ve come up with a pricing scheme that is less likely to cause their collapse in a year. The subscription has been broken up into four tiers, and yes, there’s a $9.99 option, but it’s the lowest one.

This go-round the price you pay corresponds to a points system, which covers the cost of tickets depending on how many points are remaining (so a matinee will take away less points than a midnight premiere will). In most US cities, the $9.99 tier (Basic) will cover one to three movies per month. The Standard tier is $20 a month and covers 3 to 7 movies; the Premium tier at $30 covers 5 to 11 movies and the Pro tier at $40 covers a solid 30, or one movie a day for the obsessed. “Unlimited” is no longer an option; they’re not making that mistake again.

How many movies you get in the range depends on ticket prices and what time of day you see them. But even at the most expensive prices, MoviePass still offers a valid discount for anyone who frequently sees movies. Any unused points will roll over to the next month (up to two months), so if you see no movies one month, you won’t waste money. (Note that residents of LA and NYC are actually on a different pricing scheme than everywhere else and have to tack an extra $10 onto all the prices mentioned. Regional cost of living is a bear, isn’t it?)

Interested parties can visit moviepass.com to sign up.