A couple weeks ago, MoviePass (the company that just won’t seem to die) announced a new plan to introduce “Peak Pricing” to their subscription service. As a quick refresher, customers who subscribe to MoviePass are given the opportunity to see one movie in theaters for free, each day, for just under $10 per month. Well, over the months since this plan was enacted, the subscription service has seen their customer base grow exponentially, and thus, with the company hemorrhaging money, changes had to be made.
“Peak Pricing” is the first change to the subscription service that actually affects the customer’s wallet, however. And as of today, MoviePass is officially rolling out their plan for charging customers more money, and how they plan to adjust the pricing for certain movies based on demand.
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In an email sent to subscribers, the service says, “As we continue to blaze past three million loyal subscribers, our promise to you is to provide the most affordable service for everyone.” Of course, it’s unclear how MoviePass plans to be the “most affordable service” by raising their prices after customers have already subscribed. Sigh.
The email goes on to describe exactly what the changes mean for customers:
“Peak Pricing goes into effect when there’s high demand for a movie or showtime. You may be asked to pay a small additional fee depending on the level of demand. You can avoid the surcharge by selecting a different showtime or movie.”
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The company also explains how subscribers will be able to waive one “Peak Pricing” surcharge a month. So, how will customers know what films and times will have this new surcharge? Well, in the MoviePass app, you’ll be able to see a red lightning bolt icon, which means there will be an extra fee. Of course, this will probably for the film you want to see, at the exact time you want to see it. But I digress. There will also be a grey lightning bolt icon which says that demand is rising for this showing, and will probably begin charging an extra fee momentarily.
Ultimately, the big question subscribers have for MoviePass is “how much will all this cost?” The answer is unclear, at this time. Funny enough, all we know is that the lowest surcharge will be $2 per film, and there’s no telling what the upper limit might be. In the example in the email, they show a screenshot where “Avengers: Infinity War” carries an extra $3.43 surcharge.
While $2 might not seem like a huge fee, even though it’s annoying considering you’re already paying a monthly charge, when you start getting closer to $5 extra, you have to wonder when it becomes more trouble than its worth. Additionally, when might we see charges go to $10? MoviePass would benefit from guaranteeing an upper limit, but again, it doesn’t appear like the company thinks very far ahead.
If you’re one of the lucky folks not seeing those pesky red lightning bolts just yet, never fear! MoviePass says they’re going to continue rolling out “Peak Pricing” over the next few weeks.