More Changes On The Way for MoviePass Subscribers - $9.99 Stays, Limit Set to 3 Movies Per Month
Lately, it seems like every week brings news of new, less desirable changes to MoviePass, the movie subscription company that can't seem to get act together. It turns out, this week is not an exception.
Today, MoviePass announced that it's popular $9.99 per month subscription plan will not get a rate increase to $14.99 per month and that first-run films should be included in the plan as well, reversing much of what was announced by the company last week. But that's where the good news ends.
Instead of raising the price, MoviePass says it will limit subscribers to 3 movies per month, with discounts on tickets after that.
“Because only 15 percent of MoviePass members see four or more movies a month, we expect that the new subscription model will have no impact whatsoever on over 85 percent of our subscribers,” says MoviePass in a recent press release in attempt to spin the news in a positive light.
They go on to rationalize the decision by saying, "We discovered over several months of research that our customers value a low monthly price above nearly everything else, so we came together to create a plan that delivers what most of our loyal MoviePass fans want, and one that, we believe, will also help to stabilize our business model."
We wrote an article last week outlining who wins and who loses with MoviePass's existence, and this news seems to be MoviePass's effort to find a middle ground between being sustainable and pleasing moviegoers and investors, as stocks rose upon news of the announcement.
MoviePass has considered itself an industry game-changer, shaking up the "entertainment [form] that over time has become unaffordable and broken." Really though, the only thing they've shaken up so far is their own business in the most unflattering ways possible while honing the art of angering consumers.
This new plan is scheduled to take affect starting August 15th, but with MoviePass's proclivity to changing terms with little notice, it would not come as a surprise if yet another new, more limiting plan is announced between now and then.