Culture
MoviePass Is Relaunching This Fall
MoviePass returns just in time for recession malaise and award season movies. Here's how to get access.
The summer of 2017 was a time of flowing prosperity for movie-goers. Thanks to MoviePass, for just ten tiny dollars a month, you could go see a movie every single day. We didn’t ask too many questions, but proudly swiped our Visa card emblazoned with our names and the MoviePass logo.
As it turns out, unfettered access to art isn’t a totally viable business model. MoviePass left our lives as quickly as it came, and nobody was surprised. But now, in the midst of recession malaise and a slew of great films that have us actually wanting to go back to theaters, MoviePass is being resurrected.
One of MoviePass’ founders first announced its return last summer. Now, co-founder and CEO Stacy Spikes is following through with the plan, just in time for awards season. The service will relaunch on September 5, with a waitlist opening prior.
“I want to thank everyone for their support in helping us get here,” Spikes wrote in an email. “So many of you have called, emailed and even stopped me on the street to show that you still had your original MoviePass card and talk about how much you loved the service. So if you were a 2012 OG or caught the wave towards the end we look forward to welcoming you back.”
If you’re interested in signing up for MoviePass, you must sign up for the waitlist, which opens this Thursday, August 25 at 9 AM EST at MoviePass.com.
The next part sounds like a pyramid scheme, but frankly, if I can see even one movie for less than $18, I don’t care: “Each person who joins the waitlist will receive 10 friend invites that will activate when they sign up for the service. If you do not make it on the waitlist the only way you will be able to join in the future is to receive an invite from someone.”
We surely thought MoviePass would become a cultural relic, a punchline in the way of Quibi, a startup destined to fail. But the summer of MoviePass was prosperous; never before had I seen every single movie nominated for an award, or bought so many Buncha Crunch. MoviePass may very well be the comeback story we need.