• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Arts & Entertainmentmoviepass

MoviePass Reworked Its Business Model. But It May Be Too Late, Analysts Say

Aric Jenkins
By
Aric Jenkins
Aric Jenkins
Down Arrow Button Icon
Aric Jenkins
By
Aric Jenkins
Aric Jenkins
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 8, 2018, 6:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

MoviePass, the embattled movie subscription service, appears to have settled on a pricing plan that the company says is “built for the mass consumer,” even as analysts argue that the plan isn’t built for profits.

On Monday, MoviePass announced that it would change the terms of its existing plan, which allowed its more than 3 million U.S. customers to see movies as often as once per day for $10 per month, which is cheaper than the average single movie ticket. The new plan, which MoviePass hopes will dramatically reduce its losses, limits customers to just three movies a month. Additional tickets are discounted up to $5 each. The revised plan takes effect Aug. 15.

It’s a “plan that delivers what most of our loyal MoviePass fans want, and one that, we believe, will also help to stabilize our business model,” CEO Mitch Lowe said in a statement.

The announcement came one week after MoviePass trended on Twitter for suffering a second outage that restricted users’ access to some of the summer’s most popular hits, including Mission: Impossible—Fallout. The company borrowed $5 million from a hedge fund to keep the service active before announcing that it would raise its monthly subscription fee from $9.95 to $14.95; after customers protested, MoviePass quickly abandoned the idea. (It also suspended a brief “surge pricing” strategy that increased viewing prices during busy periods.)

MoviePass isn’t the only subscription service to tinker with its pricing scheme; ClassPass, a subscription service for fitness clubs, has also searched for a happy economic medium. But the company’s dramatic changes have dismayed its customers. Worse, they may not mend its broken business model, analysts tell Fortune.

“My sentiment is that it still doesn’t solve the core problem,” says Eddie Yoon, founder of EddieWouldGrow, a think tank and advisory firm on growth strategy. “Even at three movies a month at $10, they’re still going to lose money unless they sufficiently anger the people that are super-consumers.”

In “super-consumers,” Yoon is referring to the 15% of MoviePass customers who see more than three films a month—a small but impactful portion of the user base that drains the service of money, since MoviePass buys tickets from theaters at full price. In a statement, CEO Lowe acknowledged the company is trying to “bring some moderation to the small number of subscribers who imposed undue cost on the system by viewing a disproportionately large number of movies.” Yoon calls it the “Homer Simpson problem,” referencing an episode of The Simpsons in which the character nearly bankrupts an all-you-can-eat buffet with his insatiable appetite. Alienating customers like this, Yoon says, might drive MoviePass users to rival ticketing services but save the company more money in the long run.

Karie Bible, a box office analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations, believes that MoviePass may not be accurately reporting its number of super-consumers. “I think a lot more than 15% of people misuse the system,” she says. “Fans are going to be upset the company is changing its policy and limiting the movies they can see.”

That change is likely for good. “It seems to be the official end of company’s unlimited offer,” says Daniel Loria, vice president of content strategy and editorial director at Box Office Pro, an industry trends and data site. “The big issue for MoviePass is they haven’t gotten it right when it comes to customer service. For many months they upended their original model, going on the defensive… this [new plan] is an explicit acknowledgment that the original model wasn’t sustainable.”

Lowe maintains that MoviePass conducted “several months of research” determining what customers value and has “evolved to accommodate what has become an unprecedented phenomenon.” Indeed, the market reacted positively to news of reworked business model—the share price for Helios and Matheson Analytics, the company’s parent, jumped nearly 40% Monday morning. (In June, it recorded a deficit of $45 million, according to SEC filings.)

But investors aren’t the only customers MoviePass must please. “Unlike streaming services, this is an out of home experience,” Loria says. “In any out of home experience, customer service is a huge pillar.”

About the Author
Aric Jenkins
By Aric Jenkins
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Jalen Brunson
Arts & EntertainmentSports
The Knicks’ playoff run that ended in a championship and parade is worth at least $380 million to New York City
By Catherina GioinoJune 18, 2026
1 day ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
knicks
Arts & EntertainmentNew York City
The Knicks have won 3 NBA titles, but their first parade was held up for 55 years by a budget crisis and a rejected $372 expense report
By Jennifer Peltz and The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
y
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
Meet the YouTubers remaking Hollywood, one Gen Z box-office smash at a time
By The Associated PressJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood’s maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & EntertainmentNBC Universal
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood’s maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
butter
RetailFashion
Welcome to the summer of ‘Butter Yellow,’ the shade of consumer anxiety
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
17 hours ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
2 days ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
5 days ago
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 18, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.