MoviePass members can basically only watch movies MoviePass wants them to see now.
The movie-ticket subscription service, which began rolling out a new plan this week, is limiting the movie selection that will be available to subscribers each day. MoviePass introduced a new plan on Aug. 15 that offers three movie tickets for $9.95 per month, as opposed to the movie per day subscribers used to get with the service. Members on the old, “unlimited” plan were being asked to opt into the new one when their current billing cycles ended.
A day after the new plan began, CEO Mitch Lowe said in an email to subscribers today, Aug. 16, that subscribers will now only get six movie choices per day—”for the time being.” MoviePass may also limit the showtimes available based on the popularity of the films on the app on a given day, the email said. These restrictions apply to subscribers on the annual and quarterly unlimited plan, who have not yet transitioned to the three-ticket plan, as well. MoviePass partner theaters that offer e-ticketing, like Landmark Theatres and Studio Movie Grill locations, will include all movies and showtimes.
During the heyday of MoviePass, subscribers were able to watch whatever movies were playing in the standard movie format at theaters. Then the company introduced peak pricing for popular movies and showtimes, a practice it’s now suspending. Members have complained over the last few weeks of showtimes disappearing during the day, or only having access to a few movies–and sometimes none at all—at their local theaters. MoviePass has been limiting the availability of blockbuster releases like Mission:Impossible—Fallout and The Meg over the last few weeks, as well.
The new six-movie selection introduces some order into the recent chaos of using the service. MoviePass plans to publish the daily schedule of movies available at least a week ahead of time, as the slate will change each day. Today, for example, the selection includes:
- BlacKkKlansman
- The Meg
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- Skate Kitchen
- Summer of 84
- We the Animals
- Juliet, Naked
Tomorrow’s lineup swaps BlacKkKlansman and The Meg for Christopher Robin and Mile 22.
The new limitations come after parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics posted a $126.6 million loss for the quarter ending June 30, largely due to the rising cost of running MoviePass.