In September of 2019, the ill-fated MoviePass finally announced it would officially suspend its service. After years of price struggle, increasing competition from theater chains, and changing business plans, we all thought MoviePass was done for good.
But now, a new site has emerged. A MoviePass website has popped up with an ominous countdown clock, potentially hinting at a return. Indicating a certain amount of time until “the movie is about to start,” this site’s clock runs out on Monday, March 22. Notably, this site is “moviepass.ventures,” which looks to be independent from “moviepass.com.”
When Variety reached out to MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe, he said “I have no idea. It has nothing to do with me.” The company’s social media accounts have also not been active, suggesting this isn’t some big marketing push.
Although it looks awfully suspicious, and it’s unclear what Monday will bring, the timing would make sense. Movie theaters across the country are just starting to open up again. Movie theaters are looking for a boost to get people back in their seats.
Perhaps a new company is taking over? Or maybe new people will lead it? Is MoviePass going to return? Or perhaps somebody bought that domain name (remember, .ventures not .com) and is doing an extended bit?
MoviePass became a household name for its big promise of one movie a day for $10 a month, an ambitious task that fell apart. But, even thought it was, by all accounts, a failure, the company did shake up the industry. Movie chains realized they needed to increase incentives for theatergoers. This led to AMC Stubs A-List Program, with Regal and Cinemark coming out with their own versions as well.
And even if this tease proves out to be nothing, Mark Wahlberg is going to make sure we don’t forget Moviepass. He is executive producing a docuseries that will chronicle the building and the fall of the company.
Stay tuned Monday, March 22 to see what all this fuss is about!
