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MoviePass relaunches nationwide with a new pricing model
MoviePass has been gearing up for a wide relaunch since 2022 when it started beta testing a new subscription format in several cities, and now it’s here. Introducing MoviePass 2.0, or 3.0. It boasts new pricing models, new subscription tiers, and access to movies at over 4,000 theaters nationwide.
Feds charge former MoviePass execs with securities and wire fraud
The former executives in charge of MoviePass have been indicted in what the Justice Department calls "a scheme to defraud investors."
SEC sues former MoviePass executives for fraud
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a lawsuit against two former MoviePass executives.
MoviePass's beta relaunch will kick off in Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City
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.
MoviePass will return on September 5th with plans starting at around $10 per month
A waitlist for the beta will open this Thursday.
MoviePass will return this summer
Its buffet-style business model hasn't survived the relaunch.
MoviePass may return in 2022
Cofounder Stacy Spikes plans to revive the service next year after buying back the company.
MoviePass settles with FTC over complaints that it blocked subscribers
MoviePass operators have agreed to settle with the FTC.
Mark Wahlberg will produce a series charting the rise and fall of MoviePass
Mark Wahlberg is producing a MoviePass documentary series featuring the failed movie ticket subscription service's original founders.
MoviePass owner sells Moviefone for a fraction of its original worth
Moviefone is far from its glory days. The defunct owner of MoviePass, Helios Matheson & Analytics, has sold the once-legendary movie listing service for just $1.075 million as part of bankruptcy proceedings. That's just a fraction of the $388 million AOL (subsumed into Engadget's parent company Verizon Media) bought it for in 1999. It's not clear what winning bidder Born in Cleveland LLC intends to do with Moviefone, but it's safe to say Moviefone's heyday isn't coming back.
MoviePass declares bankruptcy
You knew MoviePass wasn't long for this world when it shut down service in September, and now it's ready to bow out completely. MoviePass and its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics have declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy -- that is, they're dissolving instead of trying to restructure under Chapter 11. Accordingly, the CEO, CFO and remaining board members have all resigned.
MoviePass is dying, but its former leader wants to resurrect it
Just days after MoviePass shut down, one of the key players behind its initial success and subsequent failure wants to purchase it. Ted Farnsworth announced today that he's made an offer to acquire MoviePass -- along with related assets belonging to its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. In a press release, Farnsworth said he's proud of MoviePass and has no intention of walking away now.
MoviePass is shutting down on September 14th
MoviePass is shutting down. On Friday, the subscription service announced it will stop offering discounted movie tickets on Saturday, September 14th. In a press release, the company said its "efforts to recapitalize MoviePass have not been successful to date." All options are on the table, with MoviePass parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics saying it's considering selling itself off entirely. It added that it doesn't know when or if it will be able to continue.
MoviePass confirms breach that leaked credit card numbers
On Tuesday TechCrunch reported that security researcher Mossab Hussein, with the firm SpiderSilk, found an exposed, unencrypted MoviePass database with millions of records. Some of those included numbers for its custom debit cards that are used when subscribers purchase tickets, while others listed customer's personal information including their credit card numbers, expiration dates and billing information. Another researcher had located the vulnerable information back in July and notified the company, but neither was able to get a response, while yet another found evidence the database had been public since May of this year. MoviePass took the database offline yesterday after the report, and today finally publicly responded with a statement from a spokesperson. MoviePass recently discovered a security vulnerability that may have exposed subscriber records. After discovering the vulnerability, we immediately secured our systems to prevent further exposure and to mitigate the potential impact of this incident. MoviePass takes this incident seriously and is dedicated to protecting our subscribers' information. We are working diligently to investigate the scope of this incident and its potential impact on our subscribers. Once we gain a full understanding of the incident, we will promptly notify any affected subscribers and the appropriate regulators or law enforcement. The company put its services "on hold" in July while saying it was working on its app, but couldn't close this security hole -- despite apparent attempts at notifications before restoring access "to a substantial number of our current subscribers."
MoviePass temporarily shuts down service to work on its app
The monthly movie ticket subscription service MoviePass temporarily shut down today. The company claims it did so to complete work on its mobile app. It's unclear how long the outage will last, but in a tweet MoviePass said the service could be down for "several weeks."
AMC Stubs A-List is now the top movie ticket plan in the US
AMC's movie ticket subscription service has now hit the 800,000 subscriber mark, the company announced this week. AMC Stubs A-List, which just launched last June, has secured its spot as the number one movie subscription service in North America at a particularly sour time for its competitors. Rival Sinemia shuttered back in April following legal problems. MoviePass, once a success story in the space, fell from a peak of 3 million subscribers to just over 200 thousand in under a year, following rapid changes in pricing and more restrictive caps on movies watched.
Sinemia's theater subscription shuts down in the US
As MoviePass stumbled, Sinemia presented itself as an all-you-can-eat moviegoing alternative. Now, after quickly rushing through a series of plan changes and account terminations, the service has announced it's shutting down. A note on the front page of its website confirms what subscribers have suspected, citing "unexpected legal proceedings" (including a patent lawsuit filed by MoviePass) and lack of capital. The company hasn't responded to inquiry about whether or not it will continue on in other countries, and has gone dormant on social media. While these subscription packages have stumbled, the concept seems viable for one group: the movie theaters themselves. At last count AMC's Stubs A-List program continued to grow, and Alamo Drafthouse has announced plans to try out the scheme with a Season Pass. And that may be a next step for the people that run Sinemia -- an earlier report by Bloomberg suggested that shutting down the service would let them focus on their business as a white-label provider building up subscription plans for theater chains.
Infinity is the latest attempt at a movie ticket subscription
Infinity, a new movie ticket subscription service with options for singles, couples, and families, is expected to launch this fall. Similar to Sinemia and MoviePass, Infinity can be used at any participating movie theatre rather than a specific chain. Viewers can add on access to IMAX and 3D for an added monthly fee. Numerous perks include discounts on food and beverages, rollover movie credits, and easy ticket redemption on the Infinity mobile app or website.
MoviePass founder's next big idea: Free movie tickets for watching ads
Stacy Spikes just wants to get people to the movies. As the co-founder and CEO of MoviePass, he helped popularize the idea of cinema subscriptions. (This was before MoviePass brought in a new CEO and his ambitious -- but ultimately unsustainable -- $10 monthly plan.) As he pondered his next endeavor, he started noticing just how many ads we're subjected to in theaters, something that seems especially egregious as ticket prices keep climbing. And that's not counting the product placement we see in films.
MoviePass to offer its original $9.95 unlimited plan for a limited time
The monthly movie ticket subscription service MoviePass is switching back to the $9.95 per month uncapped plan that proved highly popular, but was ultimately unsustainable. There's a catch, though. Subscribers must pay for an annual subscription upfront, bringing the total to roughly $120 for a year's worth of unlimited movie tickets.
