Yesterday, we brought you news that AMC Theatres, one of the largest movie theater chains in the world, announced plans for their own subscription service, which would take MoviePass head-on. There were some differences, such as the price is higher for AMC’s plan, but you have some benefits like being able to see multiple movies per day and the ability to book tickets online. Well, as you might expect, MoviePass wasn’t going to stay quiet about this news. They quickly took to Twitter with their response, and also announced news of their own – higher prices.
READ MORE: AMC Theatres Announces New Subscription Service To Compete With MoviePass
First, in response to AMC’s Stubs A-List program, MoviePass tweeted, “Heard AMC Theaters jumped on board the movie subscription train. Twice the price for 1/4 the theater network and 60% fewer movies. Thanks for making us look good AMC!”
“AMC has repeatedly disparaged our model as a way to discourage our growth because all along they wanted to launch their own, more expensive plan. We want to make movies more accessible, they want more profit,” the company said in another tweet.
As MoviePass has shown in the past, they’re not afraid to mix it up and call out the big distributors and theater chains. However, these tweets smell of desperation, and the news today sheds some light as to why that might be.
READ MORE: Did MoviePass Actually Manipulate The Audience Score For ‘Gotti?’
In an interview with Business Insider, Mitch Lowe, CEO of MoviePass, talked about some new changes coming to the subscription service, and we have a feeling they’re not going to be met with thunderous applause from subscribers.
First the good news. By August, subscribers will have the option to pay an extra fee in the app to buy a ticket for a friend and for any premium showings of films, including IMAX and RealD 3D. Keep in mind, that’s the good news. But by the time that goes into effect, you may not be a member.
That’s because the second change to the plan is the most alarming, for a couple reasons. Starting in the coming weeks, MoviePass will charge a $2 upcharge for subscribers who plan on using the service to see a “high demand” film. Yes, this is simliar to “surge pricing” you find with apps like Uber or Lyft. That could mean whether you see it opening weekend, or if the film is popular. However, the determination for what is and isn’t a “high demand” movie is arbitrary.
“At certain times for certain films — on opening weekend — there could be an additional charge for films,” Lowe told Business Insider.
So, get ready to be surprised by $2 upcharges at “certain times” when you plan on seeing “certain films.” Why would they be doing this? Clearly, the money issues that have been plaguing the company since they lowered the monthly fee to $10 is catching up to them. Each new report about financials seems to be more dire than the last.
Now, we’re starting to see how MoviePass plans on recouping some of those losses, and guess what? They need to make subscribers pay more. Sometimes something that is too good to be true is, in fact, too good to be true.
Heard AMC Theaters jumped on board the movie subscription train. Twice the price for 1/4 the theater network and 60% fewer movies. Thanks for making us look good AMC!
— MoviePass (@MoviePass) June 20, 2018
AMC has repeatedly disparaged our model as a way to discourage our growth because all along they wanted to launch their own, more expensive plan. We want to make movies more accessible, they want more profit.
— MoviePass (@MoviePass) June 20, 2018
(BTW, thanks to MoviePass for tweeting out the above image we used for the story! It’s the exact way I present my card at my local theater!)