moviepass

MoviePass, RIP

Movie Pass

You probably already thought MoviePass was dead, but now it actually is. The money-hemorrhaging company, that during a magical year let subscribers see basically everything they wanted anywhere they wanted in theaters, has finally given up the ghost, shutting down operations Saturday (9/14). From the press release:

Over the past several months, MoviePass™ worked hard to relaunch its groundbreaking subscription service and recapitalize the company. While we were able to relaunch the service for some of our subscribers with an improved technology platform, our efforts to recapitalize the company have not been successful to date. As a result, it pains us to inform you that effective at 8 a.m. E.T. on September 14, 2019, we must interrupt service for all current MoviePass™ subscribers.

MoviePass also said they’ll be “providing subscribers with appropriate refunds for their period of service already paid for.”

The beleaguered subscription service went on “hiatus” in July, at the height of the summer movie season, for “maintenance,” and seemed to change the way the service worked on a weekly basis, including, at one point, changing subscribers passwords without informing them to discourage usage. In August they admitted a security breach in May may have exposed thousands of subscribers’ records (including moviepass card numbers, credit card info and more) which reportedly stayed unencrypted for months.

MoviePass knows it’s over but, like Woodstock 50, still they cling. “We still deeply believe in the need for the MoviePass™ service in the marketplace, to maintain affordable access to theaters and provide movie lovers with choices of where to go to the movies” and “hope to find a path that will enable us to continue the service in the future.”

There are other subscription services still, like AMC’s Stub’s A-List and Alamo Drafthouse  is experimenting with its Season Pass service in some markets.

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