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What happened
On Tuesday, MoviePass expanded beta testing of its new subscription plans nationwide, according to a statement made on the company’s Twitter account. Anyone who signed up on the waiting list last summer can now use the service.
There are currently four MoviePass plans. Each plan includes a set of credits that can be used to purchase movie tickets for standard 2D screens. Here are the programs available nationwide, excluding Southern California and the New York metro area:
|
Plan |
Price per month |
Number of movies per month |
Number of monthly loans |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Basic: |
$10 |
1-3: |
34: |
|
Standard: |
$20 |
3-7: |
72: |
|
Surcharge |
$30 |
5-11: |
113: |
|
Pro (in select markets, limited stock) |
$40 |
30:00 |
640 |
Data source: MoviePass.
Daytime showings from theater opening to 3:59 PM cost 10 points. Evening shows from 4pm until closing cost 15 credits on weekdays and 20 credits on weekends. Credits unused for up to two months are rolled over.
Southern California and the New York metro area have higher plan prices. Programs in these areas offer more credits, but film credit prices are also higher in these areas.
As this is beta testing, plans and credit values are subject to change. “We’re in the early stages of mapping our credits nationwide,” MoviePass CEO Stacey Spikes told Insider. The revamped MoviePass is expected to launch this summer.
And what
MoviePass is a movie ticket subscription service. It previously offered an “unlimited” plan that allowed subscribers to watch one movie a day for $9.95 a month. Although it had over 3 million subscribers at one point, its unsustainable model led to numerous financial problems, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020. Co-founder and CEO Stacey Spikes, who was fired in 2018, bought MoviePass in 2021 and began planning. reboot.
While the new plans aren’t as incredible a deal as they used to be, they should still save moviegoers money. According to Statista, the average movie ticket cost $9.57 in 2021. Even the $10 MoviePass plan will cover tickets to one to three movies, depending on the screenings you choose, so from a personal finance perspective, you should come out ahead.
What now
For anyone who loves going to the movies, a MoviePass subscription has its benefits. You can use it at any theater that accepts credit cards. If you watch movies regularly, you’ll likely save money with MoviePass. It also has a major drawback, however. You can only use MoviePass in the theater, which means you can’t reserve your ticket and seat online in advance.
If you’re considering MoviePass, first see if the movie theater you like has its own subscription plan. Many theaters now offer them.
For example, AMC, the largest movie theater chain in the US, offers AMC A-List. This costs $19.95 to $24.95 per month, depending on your location, and lets you see three movies a week on any type of screen. Unlike MoviePass, AMC A-List allows reservations to be made online. If you usually go to AMC, AMC A-List will almost certainly be a better deal than MoviePass.
MoviePass might be worth checking out when it relaunches if you see movies at multiple theater chains. The key is to make sure you use all your credits so you don’t waste money.
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