We knew MoviePass was gearing up to relaunch its beta service on September 5th, now Insider reports that it’s targeting Chicago, Kansas City and Dallas as its first major markets. Waitlisted customers in those cities will be able to sign up for one of the company’s plans: $10 a month for up to three movies, $20 a month for a maximum of four, and $30 monthly for five films. It also sounds like the company’s waitlist was wildly successful. According to CEO and original co-founder Stacy Spikes, over 775,000 people signed up in the first five days. The initial rush of 30,000 signups in the first five minutes also crashed the company’s server. (Not a great sign for stability, but it’s clear that people genuinely want this service.)
While it’s a momentous occasion for MoviePass, which rose to glory with its $10 unlimited movie ticket subscription plan, then crashed spectacularly when that failed to be sustainable, it remains to be seen how Spikes will steer the company in its newest form. A bungled launch event in February pointed to virtual currency and shareable credits coming into play, as well as controversial eye-tracking technology from his previous company Preshow. Those concepts aren’t a part of the upcoming beta, but they could be something Spikes revisits down the line.
It’ll be interesting to see if MoviePass can survive now that most theaters companies have their own subscription plans. The service also only works with standard movie tickets, not IMAX or other large format screens. Spikes says the company is looking into supporting those screenings down the line.
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